Hello, Again
by iheartbooks
Summary: A tearful parting and, after many years, a reunion for Harry and Ginny. Perhaps old flames never stop burning.
1. Goodbye

**Chapter 1**

**Goodbye**

"Harry's coming!" cried Mrs. Weasley from the living room. Ginny looked up from the pile of frozen chicken parts that she was wondering what to do with. It had been three weeks since Dumbledore's funeral and she couldn't stop thinking about him. Harry, that is, but Dumbledore too. No one could stop thinking about Dumbledore. The attacks had ceased since then. Her father muttered decidedly and with his fists clenched that Voldemort and his Death Eaters must be celebrating such a triumph.

But Harry. His name, his face, came swimming through her mind over and over again. For all her brave words, Ginny was afraid. Afraid of dying without doing her part, afraid for Harry and Ron and Hermione, afraid that Harry would never be able to kiss her, come back to her again. But Ginny was not one to be a damsel-in-distress; she was done playing that part. No, she thought she knew what she would do.

Then they all heard a muffled, but comprehensible "Ouch!" issue from the fireplace and then a ruffled black-haired head followed a Quidditch-playing body onto the rug. Not very graceful, thought Ginny, a little laugh escaping her lips. Harry stood up and grinned sheepishly. "Nice landing, Harry," Ginny said.

"Why thank you, Gin."

"Oh, Harry!" cried Mrs. Weasley, tears in her eyes. "How good to see you!" She threw her arms around him and managed to plant a peck on his cheek, though in recent years he had grown to be a foot and more taller than her.

"Good to see you too, Mrs. Weasley. How's everything been?"

"Oh, just fine, just fine. Nice of you to ask, always such a gentleman," smiled the plump little woman, dabbing her eyes with her apron.

"Hello there, Harry," said Mr. Weasley from an armchair, raising a hand and smiling fondly.

"Hi, Mr. Weasley. How are things with you?"

"Oh, well, just trying not to get in the way. Everything has been so hustle-and-bustle lately, what with the wedding and all." Harry nodded. Across the room a daintily sewing Fleur beamed at Bill at the very thought of their upcoming marriage.

"Where's Ron and Hermione?" asked Harry, brushing ashes off his shirt.

"Out in the garden, dear," piped up Mrs. Weasley, now settling herself down once more in a plushy armchair and taking up a large bowl. From the tip of her wand she produced a rag which steadily began to polish the glassware.

"Ginny, do you want to walk with me? Erm…show me where they are?" asked Harry. Ginny tried to keep a straight face. That was the lamest excuse for a talk that she had ever heard. Mrs. Weasley had looked up from her glassware and was glancing anxiously between the two. Everyone in the room knew that something had happened between Harry and Ginny. Ron had been dropping huffy hints about it since the summer began and Ginny had been rather too quiet in allaying these rumors.

"Sure. Mum, is it alright if I leave these…erm…chicken bits?"

"But," cried Fleur, "Ze chicken is very important for ze…." She trailed off as Mrs. Weasley shot her a flaming death-glare. Every male in the room quaked.

"Of _course_ you may go, Ginny dear," said Mrs. Weasley, glaring at Fleur again. "Just get rid of a few gnomes while you're out," she added as Harry crossed the room and followed Ginny out the door.

**o.o**

The air outside was warm, although it was still early morning. The two walked in silence for some time, thinking. Ginny dispatched three gnomes in a few moments and the others became visibly more cautious, poking their heads around fully-grown mushrooms and diving in and out of holes dug in the ground. Finally, Ginny spoke.

"So, they give you any trouble at the Ministry with the Floo Network?"

"No, they mostly ignored me. Probably been debriefed on "How Not to Speak to H. Potter." He laughed, but it didn't reach his eyes.

"Better than thinking you're a lying attention-seeker, though, don't you think?"

"Yeah," he paused, "So how's the summer been?"

"Uneventful. Phlegm's been talking about the wedding non-stop and I've been measured for a hideous gold dress five times over. But other than that…." Harry laughed, genuinely this time. Ginny could always make him laugh.

"Harry," Ginny continued. "Are you sure about this mission? It's definite?"

"Yes."

"Okay," said Ginny, not pressing.

"Why?" said Harry, letting a little suspicion creep into his voice.

"No reason," she paused. "You're going to be careful, right? And take care of Ron?"

"I'm sure Hermione will take care of that," he said, gesturing to a clearing in front of them. There, on a conjured bench, sat Ron and Hermione. The two were holding hands over Ron's lap and Ron was leaning down to kiss Hermione hotly on the lips.

Suddenly Hermione broke away, spotting the pair walking toward them. "Harry! Ginny! Over here!" She waved her hand and gestured them over.

"As if we hadn't already spotted them," muttered Ginny under her breath. Harry nodded and laughed.

As Harry and Ginny neared, Hermione picked up her wand from the bench beside her and waved it. Another stone bench appeared directly opposite from them. "Sit, sit!" she said eagerly, "Oh, wait a sec." She flicked her wrist and two pluffy cushions appeared on the stone. "There we go."

Harry smiled appreciatively. "Miss Ginevra Weasley, you may have first pick of pluffy cushions," he said with a flourishing bow.

"Why, thank you, kind Sir." Ginny's face was a model of seriousness for a moment and then it broke into a grin.

Ron smiled uncertainly. "Is this some kind of weird game you two play?"

"Ron!" said Hermione, shocked.

"What? What did I do?"

Harry and Ginny laughed hysterically. "What kind of misinformed rumors have you been spreading, mate?" asked Harry in mock seriousness. "I could swear your mum was giving me funny looks."

"You should ask him too. He has been telling all kinds of stories," agreed Ginny.

"What? Wait just a second…," interjected Ron, his face a condemning scarlet.

Harry cuffed him playfully over the head and Ron fell into Hermione.

"Oh, I don't think I can survive…oh no!" he cried, his hand to his forehead and tears of laughter streaming down his face.

"Oh, you boys!" said Hermione, but she was laughing too and she pecked Ron on the forehead before pushing him back up with a stern "Geroffme!"

"But really, Harry, how has your summer been?" she queried seriously.

"Delightful," he replied shortly. "Simply brilliant."

"How were the Dursleys and dear, darling Duddykins?" asked Ron.

"Prickley," replied Harry, "Until they found out I was leaving for good. You should have seen the change. _'Would you like a cherry tart before you **leave**, boy? Would you like any help packing up your things?'_ It was actually quite good."

Hermione looked concerned. "So they weren't at all worried about you? I mean, about the whole mission and everything? My parents were hysterical, 'specially my mum…when I told them."

Harry sighed. "I'd forgotten you've never actually _met_ my aunt and uncle."

"And you can thank your lucky stars for it too!" said Ron, recalling the "incident". Harry and Ron laughed at the memory.

"Why? What's wrong with them?" Ginny asked.

"Ah, Ginny Gin-Gin," sighed Ron heavily. "So sheltered, so innocent. Actually, scratch the innocent…you…." But he was cut off as Ginny gave him a hard shove and he toppled head-over-heels off the bench and onto the dirt behind.

"Hey!" groaned Ron. "Gosh, she's strong!" he added.

**o.o**

As much as Ginny wished things back to normal, it never happened. It was all so awkward. It could be fun, laughter might even be involved, but the mission was always at the back of Ginny's mind, like a ache that wouldn't go away. There were moments when she caught Harry staring at her, but he looked away the moment he noticed her looking back. As much as the threesome tried to act like everything was perfectly fine, they were all apprehensive. Ron didn't tell their mum until two days before the wedding. He had been putting it off. Mrs. Weasley's sobs could be heard throughout the house and they broke Ginny's heart in the same way they must have broken Ron's, Hermione's, Harry's.

"No," she kept wailing. "No, no, no!"

"Mum!" Ron's voice was agonized. "This is important. The most important thing I could do with my life! You've got to understand that!"

"No! I don't understand…I just don't…why does it have to be you! Why you? Why Harry? Why Hermione? No!"

"Mum, please…. Stop crying, come on!" he sounded desperate.

Ginny was sitting on the edge of her bed, facing the empty hallway through her open door. Much as she wished she could, she couldn't close the door on the noises issuing up from below. Then, from Fred and George's room across the hall, Harry appeared. His brow was creased in anxious determination, but his eyes were sad.

"I've got to go down there," he said, seeing Ginny. She nodded. She understood and wished she was brave enough to go too.

She listened as Harry's feet hit the downstairs landing and then his voice in the living room where Mrs. Weasley sat, crying her eyes out in the plushy armchair. "Mrs. Weasley…," he said slowly.

"Oh, Harry! Why, why, why?" From the way Harry's next words were muffled, Ginny knew that Mrs. Weasley must have crushed the boy to her.

Ginny bit her lip so hard it bled. Then, before she could convince herself otherwise she stood up and moved down the stairs. She stopped behind the corner of the landing. She could see clearly all that was going on in the living room, but she remained silent. Harry had come away from Mrs. Weasley's arms and was standing beside Ron, his face full of haunting despair.

"Mrs. Weasley…," Harry began again.

Suddenly Ginny heard a movement behind her and turned to see Hermione, gaze on the floor, pass her out of the stairs and into the room. Harry's voice broke a little and Hermione spoke as she walked in.

"Oh, Mrs. Weasley. I'm so sorry," her voice broke into cracked sobs, "I'm so, so sorry. I'm sorry." Her voice trailed off as she collapsed into Mrs. Weasley's limp arms. The hands came up to stroke Hermione's hair. Ginny couldn't watch anymore.

She let herself fall onto the stairs, leaned her forehead against the wall, and silently she cried and cried and cried and cried.

**o.o**

After that they couldn't even pretend. Mrs. Weasley was silent and distant most times, or would suddenly break into uncontrolled sobs until a somber Mr. Weasley led her out of the room. Fred and George found out quickly enough, and after that Fleur and Bill.

Much as she hated to admit it, Ginny couldn't help feeling a little sorry for Phlegm. As annoying as the beautiful bimbo could be, who wants to marry the love of their life in a nightmare home where no one is the least bit happy?

The wedding was fine, but not the spectacular event that Fleur had dreamed of. Her family from France arrived five hours late because the Ministry had upped security on Apparition. Several hours had been added because the Delacour's had been destined for the very home where H. Potter was residing at present. Scrimgouer had smelled a conspiracy that didn't exist. Other than the delay, things had gone smoothly, but no one was anywhere near jolly (Mr. Weasley, Ginny, Harry, Ron, and Hermione had made a good stab at pretending) and after it was over Fleur had burst into tears with disappointment.

The next day was even worse because the threesome began packing to leave that night. "It'll be easier to travel by dark. Fewer people who will ask questions," Harry informed Mr. Weasley.

"True, but the dangers…?"

"Good practice," said Ron ominously.

Around midday Mrs. Weasley locked herself inside her bedroom and didn't come out until late, by which time she had composed herself enough to have supper with the three and say goodbye.

"We won't actually be gone until midnight or so," Harry told everyone at the table. Silence followed. The nights before had been Fleur mostly discussing last-minute wedding plans. Now that Bill and Fleur had left for their honeymoon, there had never been louder silence.

**o.o**

Everyone rose from the table at around 8 o' clock and moved into the living room. Another long, painful silence fell until Mr. Weasley managed to croak out, "I guess this is goodbye then."

Mrs. Weasley stood, her face stark white, her eyes dry and dark. She seemed to come back into the present then, and gave a brave, tiny smile. "All right, you three," she mumbled. "It'll be a year or so, then," she estimated. No one dared counter her, perhaps it would be just a year. "Take care of yourselves and write as much as you can."

"Okay, Mum," said Ron and he hugged her tightly. Fred and George stepped up and handed Ron a bag.

"Filled with stuff from our shop," explained Fred.

"Not all junk, either," added George. "We've put some of our serious anti-dark wizard products in there also."

Hermione, who had just stepped away from Mrs. Weasley's hug, smiled at them. "That's very thoughtful of you," she said and pecked them each on the cheek.

Harry hugged Mrs. Weasley in silence. He shook Fred and George's hands as he walked by. Ginny hugged her brother and Hermione. "I'll miss you, Gin," Hermione murmured and squeezed Ginny's hand. Harry walked over and gave Ginny a quick hug.

"I'll talk to you later," he whispered in her ear. The threesome moved toward the stairwell. Suddenly Harry turned around.

"Thank you," he said quietly. "Thank you, all of you," and he turned and followed Ron and Hermione up the stairs.

**o.o**

That night Ginny didn't sleep. Minutes ticked away as she waited for Harry to come and say goodbye. At 11:53 he came. It was dark that night, hardly any moon. Ginny's heart skipped a beat when she saw his shape in the doorway.

"Ginny?" he said uncertainly.

"Harry," she said. He moved into the room and sat down on the bed beside her. He kissed her then. A long, hard, desperate kiss. She leaned back toward the bed, her heart hammering, but suddenly he backed away.

"I should go," he said softly. "I have to."

"I'm coming with you," she said suddenly. She stood up abruptly and knelt down, drawing out from beneath her bed a packed suitcase. It had been there since the end of the first week of summer, ever since she had begun to form a tentative plan and had been desperate to _do_ something, anything. "I'm coming," she said again, her hand clasped tightly around the handle of the suitcase.

"No, you're not," said Harry slowly.

Ginny flared. She had known. She had spent all this time thinking about this, but she had known that he would say no. She had known but she had forced herself to put it out of her mind.

"I am! I'm tired of being some damsel-in-distress. This is my war too, my future you're fighting for, as much as your own, more maybe. This is where I have to be!" she said in a hoarse cry.

Harry grabbed her shoulders and looked down into her face, his eyes sad. "No, you can't, Ginny. You can't gamble with your life."

"Then why can you? Why can you and Ron and Hermione gamble and I can't? What makes this any different?"

"Because you just can't, don't you understand?" Harry said, his voice hoarse with frustration.

"No! I'm not a child anymore, Harry."

"Ginny!"

"I have to! I have to do this! I have to."

"Why, Ginny? Its…," Harry's voice was desperate as he moved towards the door.

"Because I love you!" Ginny heard herself cry. They were out of her mouth before she had time to think about them. Harry stopped in the doorway and looked back at Ginny's tearful face, his eyes wide. "I love you, Harry," she continued, more quietly, her voice broken.

There was a short silence as they looked at eachother. Finally Harry spoke.

"I love you too, Ginny, and that's why you have to stay." And he walked away, the sound of his footsteps heavy on the stairs.

**o.o**

**Okay, so what do you all think? Give me honest feedback, it will help me. If you like it the next chapter will be up in a jiffy…so stay tuned!**


	2. Back Again

**Wow. I am so amazed that I got great reviews that quickly. Thank you so so so much if you reviewed. Hope you like this chapter too. Well, here it is:**

**Chapter 2**

**Back Again**

Ginny leaned back in her chair and put her feet up on her desk. The students would be arriving in just less than an hour. For the five-hundredth time she opened a desk drawer and drew out a much-fingered Daily Prophet. The front page glared out at her. _Lord Voldemort Dead!_ Wow, how things would change now. Ginny had never known a world free from danger. All her eighteen years had been spent with Death Eaters and Tom Riddle swimming at the back of her mind.

Then, from the same drawer she extracted an already fading piece of parchment. On it, scrawled in Hermione's neat, legible script were the words that Ginny now knew by heart:

_Dearest Ginny,_

_We're home! All of us, me, Ron, Harry. We made it, we did it, we're back at the Burrow now. I can't even believe this! You've got to come home, we all miss you so much, all of us, Harry included. We want to see you. I can't write more now, but you have to come back. I have to talk to you…about stuff._

_Love, love, love,_

_Hermione_

Ginny remembered the first reading, less than two weeks ago, that had made her head spin. She had fallen to the floor and cried, partly from happiness, partly from something else, she didn't know what. She hadn't known what do. Oh, how she missed the threesome. Three years had passed since she had last seen them, how they must have changed. Three years of scanning every word of every Prophet in hopes of picking up something, anything, that might reassure them all that Harry, Ron, and Hermione were still safe. But of course, nothing was ever found. Neither the Ministry nor the Prophet had known about the mission until just last week when Harry Potter and his friends had resurfaced in triumph. She wanted to see Ron and Hermione. And Harry. Did she want to see Harry? She had been fifteen when she told him she loved him. Three years had passed, did he expect her to feel the same way? Everything was so complicated now.

"Ginny?" Ginny tore her eyes away from the words on the parchment to see Dean Thomas standing tentatively in the doorway of her classroom. Hastily she threw the parchment into the drawer and shut it.

"Dean!" she said, forcing a smile onto her face. She walked over and gave him a quick kiss before turning away.

"Wait," said Dean, putting his hand on her shoulder and turning her around. He leaned down and gave her another kiss, a slow, gentle, long kiss. "There," he said, releasing her. "So how's our newest Charms teacher holding up in the pre-student bliss?" queried Dean.

"Just fine," said Ginny with a shrug. Then she changed her mind, why was she holding back from Dean? "I'm a little nervous, that's all."

"Don't be. You're the most amazing teacher any of them will ever meet. McGonagall has full faith in you, appointing you to a full teaching post right out of schooling."

"But she appointed you…."

"As an assistant teacher for a year before a promotiion," cut in Dean. "So don't be nervous, Gin. You'll be great. Anyway, teaching doesn't start til' tomorrow. You've still got the feast to enjoy."

"Yeah, I suppose so," muttered Ginny. Dean entered the classroom and sat down on the desk, beside the newspaper. He picked it up. He didn't need to read it. He, like every wizard or witch, knew every word.

"Amazing, isn't it?" he said.

"Yeah, really amazing," agreed Ginny.

"And Harry back?" Ginny thought she noted a little suspicion in Dean's voice. She replied quickly and firmly.

"And Ron. And Hermione. Wow, my brother must have changed."

"Must have," said Dean slowly. He dropped his suspicions. "Are you going back home to see him?"

"I wrote Hermione to tell her I couldn't until the Winter Break. It's going to be too crazy with students."

"McGonagall could always give you leave to…," Dean trailed off as Ginny gave him a look. In a moment the look vanished.

"I just want to get settled here first," she said gently. "Anyway, for now I'll have Hermione's letters. And she promises that Ron will start writing too."

"So they're all fine?"

"Perfectly." Ginny didn't add that there was an odd tone to Hermione's letters, like there was more she wanted to say, but couldn't. Ginny shook it from her mind.

She looked up at Dean. It had been a year now, since they had gotten back together. When she looked at him she didn't feel her head spin and her heart pump faster like she remembered with Harry. He was just a gentle guy, she felt… protected when she was with him.

"We'd better get down to the Great Hall," said Dean slowly, his eyes searching her face.

"Yeah," said Ginny, allowing a smile to rise to her lips. "Let's go." She took Dean's arm and they walked together down to the Hall.

o.o

Everything was ready for the students. "Enjoy the quiet," whispered Dean into Ginny's ear as they entered the Hall. Ginny instinctively began walking towards the Gryffindor table. Dean laughed and pulled her away from it. "The Staff Table, remember?"

Ginny laughed too. "Yeah, I almost forgot." It was strange, taking a seat at the Staff Table. It just didn't seem right. But Ginny sank into her seat, right beside McGonagall, Dean on the Headmistress's other side.

"Ms. Weasley," McGonagall nodded. Ginny nodded back in acknowledgement. McGonagall smiled and leaned closer. "Don't be nervous, dear," she said and gave Ginny's hand a reassuring squeeze. Ginny grinned back.

Slowly the other teachers began to file into the room until only one empty place was left at the Staff Table. Ginny glanced over at Dean as the clock struck 8, the students were due any minute. He gave her a thumbs up. She gestured to the empty seat beside her. Dean shrugged. Ginny leaned over to Professor McGonagall.

"Professor, who…?" But at that moment the doors flung open and a veritable sea of students flooded into the room, and with them an instant uproar of noise that drowned out the teachers' conversations. The students milled around for a moment before taking their seats, still chattering away. Ginny sat in silence, trying to figure out which subject's professor was missing. She herself taught Charms. Dean had taken over McGonagall's post as Transfiguration professor. Sprout was still aptly instructing Herbology, Hagrid Care of Magical Creatures, and a fatter-than-ever Slughorn Potions. Scanning the other professors along the length of the table, Ginny realized that the answer was simple enough. Defense Against the Dark Arts. Snape, of course, had not returned to the post, and the other teachers had only been temporary. So it had to be that the new Defense teacher was missing in action.

"Quiet down, quiet down." McGonagall had stood now and had pointed her wand at her throat to magnify her voice. The students were rather lethargic in stopping their socializing, but stop they did, after some period of time. It was obvious that the students were happier than normal. News of Voldemort's downfall was causing great rejoicing throughout the wizardng community. No more fear, no more tears, thought Ginny dryly. "Alright, thank you," McGonagall said. "I think it is time we began the Sorting."

The students tittered a little as Argus Filch produced the frayed Sorting Hat and stool. The Hat did not commence with a song. After Dumbledore's death it seemed to have lost its love of music. Ginny sighed and smoothed her napkin. Then, from the double doors, and led by the four house ghosts, came the white-faced first years. Their eyes visibly widened at the magnificent Hall, the ceiling reflecting the twinkling stars outside. Ginny was glad to see that a good number were sorted into Gryffindor. As a teacher she really wasn't supposed to be partial, but who could blame her? Finally the Sorting ceremony ended and McGonagall stood once more.

"Now that we have introduced many new students into our ranks, I would like to introduce some new staff members." She paused, allowing the students to scan the Staff Table for these new faces.

"I am firstly very pleased to welcome Professor Thomas to the post of Transfiguration professor." Dean smiled at the students, who cheered. He had been assistant teacher last year and was rather well liked all around.

"Next Professor Weasley will be joining us as Charms professor." Ginny smiled. The students clapped, but there was a certain amount of whispering as well. In recent days the name Weasley had become almost as famous as Potter. Had a Weasley not been best friends with Harry Potter and accompanied the Chosen One on his mission against He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named?

"And finally, we will be having a new Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher, as Professor Grand has chosen to retire. It seems he is late today but I assure you that he will be present and ready to teach to your willing young minds by tomorrow morn…," she was cut off as once more the double doors flew open and a man entered.

Students gasped. Ginny, turning to the other teachers, saw many gasp as well. So she had not been the only one who had not known.

"Well, here he is," cried McGonagall, her eyes twinkling. "Students and Staff I would like to introduce our new Defense teacher – Professor Potter."

Ginny felt her heart skip a beat, like it always used to do. He hadn't changed very much in the past three years. He was 19 now and tall, it seemed to her just short of six feet. His hair was the same uncooperative brand – jet-black, falling rather dashingly into her face. His bright, bright green eyes had hardened a little, but they shone as he grinned out at the stunned audience before him.

"Sorry I'm late, Professor, my broom got held…." McGonagall laughed. The students were further awed. McGonagall never laughed lightly.

"You are a staff member now, Potter. You need not make excuses for your tardiness." Her smile faded back into the usual thin-lipped expression. "Now, if you would be so kind…," she gestured towards the empty seat beside Ginny. His gaze swept past Ginny and to his vacant seat, then he did an obvious double-take and looked back toward Ginny, who grinned.

"Hello, Harry," she said, her voice carrying easily across the silent Hall.

"Hello Gin. Long time no see."

She nodded. He looked back at her and her stomach dropped. His gaze held the same intensity that she remembered, she felt like she was falling into his eyes.

Harry's footsteps echoed loudly on the floor, the silence was deafening. Harry looked around, as though confused at the shock he had caused. Ginny stared straight ahead as the chair beside her scraped back and Harry sat down. It had just hit her. Harry Potter, the boy she had loved, the boy she had told she loved him, was here: sitting beside her as though it were only yesterday. She swallowed.

But it wasn't the same because McGonagall was once more addressing the students. Ginny didn't hear a word. Dean caught her eye from the Headmistress's other side. "Are you okay?" he mouthed. She nodded. She saw Dean's eyes dart to Harry and back to her. "You sure?" he mouthed again. She bit her lip and nodded again.

"Let the feast begin," McGonagall said suddenly. The golden plates before them were instantaneously stacked with every type of food imaginable. Slowly Ginny took a piece of beef and placed it on her plate. Out of the corner of her eye she saw Harry looking at her and breathed, trying to calm herself. It wasn't a big deal, she kept telling herself. It was just Harry. She had grown up with him, why was she so tense?

"I'm so glad to see you, Gin," Harry said.

She turned toward him and was caught at once by those eyes. She smiled. "I'm glad to see you too, Harry."

"Hermione says you're visiting the Burrow at Christmas."

"Yeah," Ginny said. She paused. "How are they? How are you?" Suddenly the questions that had been burning inside her for three years spilled out. "Why couldn't you write? How did it happen?"

Harry seemed momentarily stunned by this sudden stream of questions. "Wow," he said. "Where to start?"

Ginny laughed. Harry laughed too. Just like old times.

"They're fine…I'm fine. Everything's so…different now. My scar doesn't hurt, I don't have those dreams. God, it's amazing. And now I'm back at Hogwarts. This is going to be my peaceful year."

"Doubt it, Harry," said Ginny, her eyes sparkling.

"Well, with Voldy gone…what's here to bother me?"

"Me," said Ginny with a laugh. Harry grinned.

"Damn," he said.

o.o

**Okay. That's it for now. Any ideas on where it should go from here? I'm always always looking for feedback so push that little purplish-grayish button and review!**


	3. Torturing Parchment

**Lalalalala…I'm really enjoying writing this. Thanks again to reviewers – you guys are great! Well, here goes nothin':**

**Chapter 3**

**Torturing Parchment**

For the first time in three years Ginny slept soundly. When Harry, Ron, and Hermione had been gone nightmares had haunted her. When news of their return hit home she had worried about seeing Harry again. Now, with that meeting over and friendship still intact, Ginny slept like a baby.

Classes began that morning. Ginny was sitting at her desk an hour before class started, and with nothing to do. Silently, her heart pumping, she reflected upon the fact that she was only a year older than many of her students. She wondered sullenly whether they would even listen to her. Stop it, another part of her mind insisted, if they don't listen take house points off. That always works, her collective brain agreed.

Ginny jumped at a sudden rap on her classroom door. "Yes?" she said, her voice strong. Ginny, though her thoughts might be morbid, never revealed weaknesses to others. Only once had her mask slipped.

The doorknob turned and Harry walked in. "Oh!" cried Ginny, only slightly surprised, "Hey Harry!"

"Hey! Just wanted to come by and say hello before classes begin."

Ginny nodded. "How are you?" she said. It sounded lame, but she shook it from her head; not dwelling on what had already left her mouth.

"To tell the truth? I'm flippin' nervous," said Harry.

"What? Harry Potter nervous?" said Ginny in mock shock.

"Yeah. Who knew a bunch of midgets with wands could be this intimidating. This is worse than the Triwizard."

"Hmm," said Ginny. There wasn't really a reply to that. "I'm nervous too. I've got my lesson plan all set and it's only…. Wait a second – why are you nervous? Did you see what happened when you came in last night? You're awe-inspiring without even saying anything. They'll all be on the edge of their seats before a word is out of your mouth!"

"Exactly. That's what scares me."

"You're weird, Harry," said Ginny with a laugh.

"_I'm_ weird?" said Harry, laughing too. "Just Bat-Bogey one of 'em and you'll be home free the rest of the year. They'll all be scared out of their wits after that!"

"True…," said Ginny thoughtfully, a grin filling her face.

Just then there was another knock and the door opened.

"Hey, Gin?" said Dean, peeping his head round the door. He caught sight of Harry and his eyebrows went up.

"Dean?" said Harry. "Wow, it's great to see you!" He walked over and shook Dean's hand, his smile genuine.

"Hey Harry!" Dean said. "Wow. It's great to see you too! There's my Ginny!" he said suddenly. He walked over to where Ginny was standing and kissed her hotly on the mouth. After a moment Ginny made to pull away but he put his arm around her waist and pulled her closer. Finally he stopped.

Ginny looked at him strangely. What was wrong with him? With Dean there were never, ever, any public displays of affection. When they were with other people they didn't even hold hands!

But Dean didn't look the least bit sheepish. He was grinning broadly and put his arm around Ginny's waist again. "Ginny was telling me on our date last week that you were back!" The way he emphasized "date" made Ginny glare at him. What was he playing at? He was being stupid.

She looked at Harry to see his reaction. Was it her imagination or had his smile faltered a little? She found herself hoping this was the case, then caught herself. What was she thinking? Sure, Dean was being stupid, but why did she care what Harry was thinking?

"Well congratulations, you two. On getting back together and all. That's great, really great," Harry was saying, and Ginny felt her stomach drop with a disappointment that she couldn't help and wished she wasn't feeling.

"Thanks, mate," said Dean.

"Well, I ought to get back to my classroom. If that staircase decides to move I'll be late for my first class! It was good to see you again, Dean. See you later, Gin," Harry said with a friendly smile and then he was gone.

The moment she was sure the door was closed Ginny turned to her boyfriend. "What the hell was that?" she demanded, glaring in the way for which her mother was famous.

"What?" said Dean, feigning ignorance.

"Nice try, Dean. I'm not stupid. The kiss, the date comment. You're being jealous and making a fool of yourself!"

Dean flared. "Don't be stupid. I was just letting him know."

"Letting him know what exactly?"

"That you're my girlfriend and he shouldn't try anything!"

"Dean! Harry hasn't tried anything. You're just being an idiot."

"You know my fears aren't unfounded, Gin. Don't lie to me!"

"What? That's what you think of me! How dare you, Dean, how dare you? You're being an arrogant prick, do you know that?"

There was a long pause. Ginny's face had turned a deep shade of red in her anger and Dean looked about to retort, but then he flung his hands to the air.

"You know what, Gin? I didn't do anything wrong. When you're done PMSing we can talk."

"Get out, Dean," Ginny breathed, her voice dangerous.

"Don't worry. I'm going," said Dean and he walked out, slamming the door behind him.

o.o

Once Dean had gone Ginny sat back down and held her forehead in her hands. She wanted to scream. Had she overreacted with Dean? She was sure she probably had. After all, she'd left him for Harry before, no wonder he was suspicious. And what about Harry? Did she still like him? She needed to talk to Hermione. Hermione had always helped with Harry problems before. But she wasn't seeing Hermione until Christmas. She didn't want to voice her worries by letter, Hermione seemed distracted enough already. It's okay, she consoled herself. Harry hadn't said or done anything yet, so she had no reason to believe that he had any intentions other than friendship. Yes, she thought, I won't do anything until I talk to Hermione over Christmas. For now, she would make up with Dean. He deserved an apology.

With these reassuring thoughts filling her mind Ginny found it much easier to teach class. Her first class, she discovered, consisted of First Year Gryffindors and Hufflepuffs. These she could deal with. As First Years they were nervous and as Gryffindors and Hufflepuffs they were, by nature, hardworking and respectful.

"We will begin with a little practical exercise. It's rather obvious what Charms is, and therefore today will be a time for you to look through your textbook and try out a few spells for yourself. Feel free to torture these pieces of parchment," she began to pass out simple blank paper, "in any way you see fit." There was a titter of appreciative, while nervous, laughter from the students and Ginny smiled. "This is a perfect opportunity for you to decide on a few spell-oriented goals for this year. By the time summer comes around you will have mastered everything in this textbook. Now is the time for you to find out what's ahead for you. No homework tonight," she continued and there was a whoop from a brave Gryffindor at the back. "Go!" she cried and immediately textbooks were produced and wands drawn as the students eagerly began casting spells on their parchments.

One student managed to turn her parchment blue, which the unfortunate girl ruined by give a whoop of delight, unintentionally flicking her wand, and setting her success on fire. Ginny was up in a moment and, without speaking, caused a neat stream of water to issue from the tip of her wand. The water successfully doused the flames and somehow left no offending droplets on the student's desk. This caused a certain amount of awe in the students, as did the professor's ensuing kindness to the poor girl in question.

"It's alright. That was brilliant. A real feat for the first day. You're going to be a talented Charms student, I can tell already. Now, new rule," said Ginny, turning to address the class. "Anyone that needs a new parchment must make a shot with the old one into the wastepaper basket. There you go," she continued, handing the girl her crisp, almost-ash parchment.

The girl, still looking around nervously, crushed the piece into a ball and threw a perfect hoop. "Yes!" cried Ginny, clapping and grinning. Everyone else clapped as well and the girl returned to her seat, fresh parchment in hand and a grin on her face. After that, no one was timid with their papers and several more deformed subjects were brought forth to be shot into the basket. Ginny found herself going through stacks of parchment.

With one successful class under her belt Ginny was more confident than ever. The following classes went the same way until her last class. It was Slytherins and Gryffindor Seventh Years, the old rivalry, though the Slytherins were less quick to voice their opinions since Voldemort's downfall.

These students were only one year younger than Ginny and had known her since she had been a Second Year.

Halfway through the lesson a Gryffindor stood up. "Professor…Weasley?" he voiced hesitantly. He wasn't used to calling her "Professor".

"Yes, Gregory?" said Ginny. She didn't need to glance at her roll chart…she knew nearly every Gryffindor in the room.

"You see…Professor…we've just had class with Dean…I mean…Professor Thomas."

Ginny raised her eyebrows. "And…?" she prompted him.

"And there have been so many rumors and…just wanted to clear things up," the boy half-mumbled. A nudge from the boy sitting beside him prompted him to continue. "Are you two dating?"

Ginny was taken aback, but not unprepared. "Yes, we are. But that falls under the category of my personal business, Gregory," she said amusedly. "Is there anything else?" she said, to the class in general.

There was silence for a long moment and Ginny was just about to continue with class when a girl burst out. "But what about Harry then?"

"Harry…?" said Ginny, though she knew perfectly well which Harry.

"Harry Potter," said the girl, incredulously. This girl fell under the category of Gryffindors that Ginny didn't know. Even so, her next words showed that she was obviously very well informed. "You two were together when you were in fifth year, weren't you?"

"Yes, and?"

"And well…," the girl seemed at a loss and no one else voiced an opinion. Ginny turned back to the lesson.

o.o

Little that it mattered, this latest class shook Ginny. Even with just that week or two of them dating, everyone seemed to know the Ginny Weasley and Harry Potter had one been a couple. They even seemed to expect that now Harry was back they would be getting together again. And if complete strangers expected this, wasn't it possible that so did Harry?

Mulling things over, her eyebrows knit tightly together, Ginny pulled out her wand. The last class had left the room in general mayhem, though nothing Ginny couldn't easily deal with. She flicked her wand and the desks nudged each other back into position. She pointed the thin smooth stick at the wastepaper basket and a mass of parchment, all in varying degrees of destruction, flew towards her, landing on her desk. She flicked her wrist again and the papers uncrinkled themselves, ink, ash, and odd markings flew off the paper and up through the tip of her wand. Pocketing her wand, Ginny arranged the now just-like-new, crisp sheets of parchment into a neat pile and placed them back in her cabinet.

Ginny Weasley ended the day with a few hundred content students, all the parchment she had begun with, and a headful of thoughts.

o.o

**Did this chappie seem a little off topic to you? Not sure…all the words just came out in a rush. Hope you like it – reviews por favor! **


	4. The Second Time

**Okay. So here's the fourth chapter. Hope you like it:**

**Chapter 4**

**The Second Time**

The next morning Ginny spent much longer in the shower. She let the warm water rush over her…it was so cleansing.

Thus when she finally stepped out of the steamy bathroom, she realized that she only had twenty minutes before classes started. Quickly she threw on her clothes and grabbed her cloak. She would have to forego breakfast, she realized. She rushed out of the door, only to bump right into a familiar green-eyed boy.

"Harry!" she screeched in surprised.

"Ginny! Sorry," he put his arm around her waist as she almost stumbled. Regaining her balance, Ginny was suddenly very aware of Harry's strong arm still grasping her back.

"Thanks," she said slowly, her face reddening. Damn this red hair, she thought to herself. As a redhead she was always blushing.

Harry, seeming to suddenly become aware of his arm-placement as well, abruptly pulled away, looking embarrassed.

"You alright?"

"Yeah," she said. "You scared me, that's all. What are you doing here?"

"I just…," he seemed even more embarrassed all of a sudden. "I just came to check if you were okay." Ginny raised her eyebrows. "You weren't at breakfast, you see, and Dean…well Dean said you guys had argued so I…."

"He said that?" asked Ginny.

"Well no, not exactly. But seemed rather ticked off last night and he said you were being…," he let that ending drift off. "Well…he…so I naturally assumed…," he finished lamely.

Ginny couldn't help laughing. She patted Harry's shoulder. "It's okay, Harry. That's really sweet. Thanks, but I'm fine. No worries."

"Okay, good then," Harry replied, clearing his throat.

"I better get to my class then," Ginny said and began walking down the hall. Harry followed.

"My classroom's that way too," he explained.

There was a long pause as they both walked in silence. Then abruptly Harry spoke. "So you two quarreled?"

"Yeah," Ginny admitted. "It wasn't a big deal, I was being weird. Why?" she asked, watching Harry's expression out of the corner of her eye. He didn't stumble with an answer.

"You're my best friend's sister! I've gotta look out for you," he said.

Ginny only nodded. She couldn't help wondering if that were true or not. Was that all there was to his concern?

Ginny, noticing that her cloak was still in her arms, swung it around her shoulders as she walked. Out of the corner of her eye she noticed that Harry was watching her. Not just looking at her. It was strange; no one had ever looked at her that way before. Not even Dean. It was like he was _seeing_ her. She couldn't quite understand it, but it stuck in her mind.

Then he noticed that she was glancing back and his face flushed. He looked away. It was just what he had done before he had gone away three years ago.

"This is it," Ginny said as they drew up to her classroom door.

She turned to Harry to say goodbye and he was staring at her again. His eyes were gentle; it wasn't like some stalker, creepy stare. It was the kind of stare she remembered Ron giving Hermione, like he wanted to hold her. But in another moment it was gone, replaced by that charming Potter grin. "Okay, Gin. I guess I'll see you…afterwards," he said. He raised a hand in goodbye and started further down the hall.

o.o

That class period Ginny was more distracted than ever. Her mind kept returning to Harry's look, Dean's face as he slammed the door, her feelings were everywhere. She tried to rationalize everything, but found, once again, that she couldn't. Hermione was the rational one; Ginny was usually the one burning to _do _something.

Ginny sat at her desk, staring straight ahead, nothing passing through her barrier of perception.

"Professor?" A girl had raised her hand.

Ginny snapped out of it. "Hmmm…yes?" she said, blinking.

"Erm…," the girl faltered, "are you alright?"

"Hmmm…yes…of course I am," she said, blinking some more. God Gin, she thought to herself, what's wrong with you? Pull it together. "Alright…," Ginny stood up and addressed the class as if she had been with the program all along. "Who can tell me what "levitation" means?"

o.o

After taking the class through the incantation numerous times, showing them the proper movement, and handing them different colored party feathers, Ginny sank back into her seat. The eager First Years got started at once and the class was immediately filled with chatter and bustle.

She would need to figure this out, now. She wouldn't be seeing Hermione until Christmas – 3 months! – and she couldn't afford to wait that long for a decision. Besides, she couldn't let Hermione do her thinking for her. Okay, her brain began, let's think. Dean. In Dean she saw security, safety, contentment. Was that love? Dean was the kind of guy that she could lead a normal life with, a life with protection. But Harry. Even his name made her heart skip a beat and a warmth seeped into her body. The thought of his name had her smiling. But he was so unpredictable. And did he even love her? So far he hadn't shown any interest in anything more than friendship. Except those looks, her mind reminded her.

Except, except, except. There was always an "except".

o.o

Ginny caught up with Dean right after the last class of the day. He was still in his classroom, milling over an enormous stack of papers with a red-ink quill.

She cleared her throat in the doorway. He looked up and nodded her into the room. She closed the door.

"You're apologizing, aren't you?" He didn't say it in a bossy, prissy, I-told-you-so way. It was just a statement.

Ginny smiled. "How'd you know?"

Dean laughed. "You're doing your Apology Walk." Something about the way he said it made those words seem deserving a capitalization.

Ginny couldn't help laughing. "I have an Apology Walk?"

"Of course you do."

"Well, okay then, you've caught me. I'm here to apologize. I was being stupid and accusing and I understand why you might be suspicious, even though I want you to know that there's no cause for it. Okay? So I'm sorry."

Dean smiled kindly. "Apology accepted," he said.

"Thank you," said Ginny. She walked over and gave him a little kiss.

o.o

The next few weeks passed peacefully for Ginny. Things were better again with Dean and Harry seemed happy that she was happy. In any case, Ginny tried to put these troubles out of her mind and enjoy the time before Christmas.

She still corresponded regularly with Hermione. Ron had, as promised, begun to add little footnotes at the end of Hermione's letters, just the regular "Miss you, Gin-Gin."

Hermione was saying less about whatever she needed to talk about, but Ginny realized this was probably because Ron was seeing the letters now. Another reason for Ginny to await the trip to the Burrow in anticipation.

Then, the day before she was scheduled to leave for the Burrow, everything changed.

o.o

"Ginny!" Ginny was sitting in the Staff Room, going over some papers and sipping some warm Butterbeer. It was empty, but for her and a dozing Professor Sprout.

"Harry!" Ginny scooted over, allowing Harry to sit down on the couch next to her.

Ginny was slowly getting control of the effects Harry had on her. There was no other word of it: "effects". She managed to keep her heart from pumping too fast and ignored the drop of her stomach.

"You packed?" asked Harry genially.

"Yes…well…wait a minute?" She looked puzzled.

"The Burrow?" said Harry.

"Yes, but how…?"

"Well, I'm coming too, aren't I?" said Harry, grinning. "Didn't you know?"

No, Ginny hadn't known. But now that she thought about it, it was stupid really, for her not to have realized. Harry was like family, after all.

She grinned. "Of course!" she laughed.

"Sure…," said Harry, laughing too.

"Just grading some last minute papers. Don't wanna take work home, you know?"

"Yeah, of course. You know, there's a secret to solving that problem."

Ginny looked up from the papers again. "And what's that?" she said. Harry's eyes were twinkling.

"Me? I just don't assign homework when I don't want to grade."

"Harry!" said Ginny, laughing.

"Well, it's true!"

Ginny shook her head, still grinning. "You know," muttered Ginny, "Now I think about it, that _would _solve the problem."

"Exactly."

"Well, seeing as I've already assigned this, I've gotta grade it."

Harry nodded sagely. "Dug your own grave, haven't you?"

"Mmhmm," Ginny agreed. She turned back to her papers. There were a few moments of silence. Her hair fell from behind her ears. She tucked it back and glanced at Harry. He was staring at her again. In that _way _of his. She turned back to her papers but it was worthless. She couldn't even concentrate for those few seconds.

"Harry…," she turned. He was closer than he had been and she was staring into his bright, green eyes.

He blinked and reddened in embarrassment, realizing that she had caught him looking at her. "Sorry," he mumbled and turned away.

No, she didn't want him to feel uncomfortable. That wasn't it at all. She was regretting having said anything.

"Harry…," she said again…trying to explain that she didn't want him to feel weird.

But before she could get the words out she was lost again, in those eyes. And they were staring into each other's eyes for what seemed like whole minutes, but most have been only a matter of seconds.

Then he leaned in and kissed her. It was a slow, gentle, tender kiss that made her feel like she was floating. She didn't want it to end. The kiss slowly got fiercer, hotter, but Harry's hands stayed on the couch, as though he didn't want anything more. Just that kiss. Like he had been dying for that kiss, and only that kiss. Nothing more, nothing less.

Finally they broke away from each other and Ginny smiled. Only when, with difficulty, she took her eyes off Harry's face, and looked past him, did she notice Dean standing in the doorway.

o.o

Ginny's stomach dropped. Not the way it dropped when she saw Harry, a different type of drop.

Dean's face showed only surprise and then a horrible, clouding anger. He turned on his heel and flew out the door, slamming it in his wake.

"What's wrong?" Harry said, noticing Ginny's white face.

"Dean," she said. There was no need for further explanation. She got up and ran out. "I'm sorry, Harry," she said as the door closed behind her.

God, why did this always happen to her? She wondered as she flew down the corridor. But you know you liked it, another part of her brain insisted. Ginny heard only her feet pounding on the cold stone floor.

Dean was in his classroom, just as Ginny had expected. He was pacing around, his face a mask of anger and regret. Ginny threw herself over the doorway.

"Dean!"

"What do you want, Ginny?" he asked, his voice terrifyingly cold.

"I want…I want…," she stuttered, breathing hard. She couldn't say "I'm sorry." In all her time with Dean she had never once lied to him.

Dean was staring at her, without shame, his eyes dark and hard. She stumbled over her own words for what seemed to her an unending period of time before he cut her off.

"You have to choose. Me or Harry. You can't pull me around like this! You need to choose. Now." His face burned with determination. It was as though he had been rehearsing.

Ginny wasn't surprised. She herself had known this for months. But now, faced with decision and Dean's determined face, words failed her.

She looked up at him, regret filling her eyes with tears.

Dean understood. He nodded.

"Harry." He spoke the name like a statement, like an axe cutting wood, without hesitation. His eyes shone with water, but his lips were a thin line of determination.

"Harry," Ginny said.

"That's the second time. The second time I've lost the love of my life to Harry Potter," he said, laughing coldly.

They were silent for a moment. There was nothing to say to that. "Dean, I'm so sorry," she said, placing her hand on his.

"Don't touch me!" he spat, pulling his hand back with shocking viciousness. Ginny was stunned for a moment, but then looked down.

She nodded and walked out of the room.

o.o

**Phew. What do you think? Oh, and Happy Thanksgiving to everyone in the States. Reviews, please!**


	5. Back to the Burrow

**Sorry that this chapter has been pretty slow in getting posted, but Thanksgiving Break has ended and school is back in full swing. Read and review, please.**

**Chapter 5**

**Back to the Burrow**

Ginny didn't return to the Staff Room. She didn't feel up to facing anyone that would ask questions. She needed time to sort out her thoughts.

The quiet of her bedroom calmed her. It was all for the best, she convinced herself. Really, it was. It was all bound to happen eventually, it was an inescapable truth. She had feelings for Harry that she could never feel for Dean.

She went over the conversation in her mind. Had she been cruel? Should she have been gentler with the truth? She had hurt Dean, she knew. She also knew, with a burning certainty, that she should never have gotten involved with him again. But she had needed it, she rationalized. She had needed to feel a part of something. And she hadn't known when Harry would be back. She had waited and waited and waited for any sign that he was still out there, fighting, breathing, but two years had passed.

"You have to keep living," her mum had urged. "You can't cry away your life." And there was Dean, so conveniently. And she had thought, for one blissful year, that she had felt something, that all this with Dean was real and she was finally refilling the hole in her heart where Harry had been. She hadn't realized how fake it all was until Harry had returned.

Well, it's over now, she thought decidedly. She had gone a broken Dean's heart again, but it was best that she had done it now, sooner rather than later. He would get over it, she thought hopefully, he did last time. But last time was only a crush; more physical than emotional, that cynical part of her brain insisted.

Ginny allowed her body to fall back onto the bed, the covers bunching under her. Her suitcase lay open at the top of the bed, but Ginny didn't get up to set it by the door. Shoot, she thought silently to herself…her robes were going to wrinkle if she slept in them. Rolling her eyes in frustration she pulled herself back up and threw them off.

Well, now that she was just in a bra and jeans…where was her nightshirt? Somewhere…. In her suitcase, she decided…bundled so inconveniently at the bottom of her suitcase. She sighed heavily in frustration. Whatever, she thought, on a whim. She threw herself back down and stared at a ceiling for a moment before sleep claimed her.

o.o

"Ginny?"

She was startled into awareness by a knock on the door and someone saying her name. It took her only a moment to realize that it was Harry. She opened her eyes and immediately shut them. The light issuing inside from her window was blinding.

"Ginny?" Another knock. Ginny managed to pry her eyes open and glanced at the clock on her bedside table.

8:45...Damn. The Ministry had given her a pass to use the Floo Network at 9:00-9:15am only. She had better get a move on.

"Ginny?" Harry's voice held a tinge of concern this time. Ginny decided she had better get up. She didn't want Harry to worry.

"I'm here," she said quickly, pulling herself off the bed. Her head hurt…too much thinking, she decided with a slight smile.

Ginny rubbed her hands over her face and through her hair, waking herself up. She went to the door and opened it a little, peering out at Harry in the hall.

"Hey Harry, thanks for coming to get me. I would have slept right through…." She stopped short. Harry's eyes were fixated on her chest. He pulled his gaze away and bit his lip, holding back a laugh. Ginny looked down and almost screamed. She was still wearing only her bra and a pair of jeans.

Ginny felt her face reddening. This stupid red hair and matching complexion, she cursed to herself. It seemed an entire minute before Ginny got her motor functions back. She promptly swung the door shut in Harry's face.

o.o

Ginny put her back up to the door, breathing hard. Crap, crap, crap, crap, she kept thinking to herself. She slid down the door until she was sitting on the floor. Crap, she thought again.

She sat there for a while, still breathing hard. Oh, Ginny, she chastised herself after her face had returned to its natural tinge, this is so childish.

So Harry saw you in a bra. So what?

So how am I ever going to face him again? she thought.

So? It's not like he's never seen a bra before.

It's not?

Oh, come on! This is Harry Potter! Cho Chang, clamoring girls, hero and all that, remember?

Oh, yeah. But that doesn't mean he's actually _done _anything.

That's pretty naïve.

This is _Harry_.

All right, fine. You're probably right. Maybe he's never seen one before.

Thank you.

Whatever.

Ginny stood up. "Ginny? Are you…erm…in there?" came Harry's voice. It sounded slightly embarrassed.

"Yeah," said Ginny. She spoke rather more quietly than she would usually.

Quickly she threw on her white turtleneck. It was the least revealing shirt she could think of. She didn't want Harry to think she was _trying _to show him…stuff. No, she definitely wasn't.

She drew her wand from the pocket of her robes where they lay draped over the chair. She pointed it at her suitcase which snapped shut and flew into her hand. Turning back to the door she took a deep breath and opened it.

o.o

"You all right?" said Harry, carefully looking at the ground and no where else.

"Mmhmm," said Ginny, just as unsociably.

"Good," replied Harry. Boy, was this awkward.

"Do you have a…," said Ginny.

"Pass? Yeah," said Harry, drawing the little stamped parchment piece from his pocket.

"Mind reader," said Ginny, smiling.

"Every day of the week," said Harry, smiling too.

"Are you using…?"

"Legilimency?" said Harry laughing. His eyes twinkled in that way they had.

"Harry!" said Ginny, laughing.

"No, I'm not using it."

"Are you…?"

"Sure? Yes, I'm sure."

Ginny's eyes widened and she looked over at Harry, disbelief in her eyes.

"All right, fine. I'm lying. I am using it."

"Harry James Potter!" Ginny said, laughing too.

"I've gotten pretty good, wouldn't you say?"

"We'll see about that," said Ginny slyly.

"What does that mean?" said Harry challengingly.

"It means…that once we get to Burrow I'm going to put your Legilimency to the test. But first," Ginny checked her watch. "We have to start running if we're going to catch the Floo."

Harry glanced at his watch too. His eyes widened and he broke into a jog.

"Race ya," said Ginny, eyes sparkling.

"You can't win," said Harry. Once more his voice held that playfully challenging tone.

"Watch me," said Ginny and broke into a run.

o.o

They arrived before the gargoyles breathing heavily. The entrance the Headmaster's office was the same as Harry remembered it.

"So what's the password?" asked Harry.

"Lemon Drop," Ginny said and the gargoyles bounded aside. The two stepped onto the staircase.

"That was Dumbledore's main password," said Harry.

"Yeah."

"McGonagall…?"

"Didn't have the heart to change it."

Harry merely nodded. They reached the top and found the door open.

"Come in, you two," called McGonagall from within.

The office was exactly as Dumbledore had left it, with the addition of Albus' picture on the wall opposite the desk. Right now the old man was scribbling something on the paper. He looked up as they came in. For a moment his eyes seemed to brim with tears and he set down his pen. In just a second he had exited his frame to some unknown destination.

"Headed for the Burrow, am I correct?" inquired McGonagall good-naturedly.

Harry and Ginny nodded. McGonagall frowned slightly, noticing their sweating faces. "Been running, you two?"

"Racing," said Harry with a laugh.

"Still the hooligans I taught years ago, I see."

"You should know we'll never change, Professor," said Ginny, grinning at Harry.

"I don't expect that you _will_ change," said McGonagall, smiling now too. "So there's the fireplace." McGonagall gestured and Harry and Ginny approached the ancient grate.

Harry checked his watch. "Ladies first," he said, turning to Ginny."

"Oh, how gentlemanly of you."

"Why, thank you."

"Just like old times, eh?"

"We still play games," said Harry smiling broadly. Ginny picked up some powder from the mantle and cast it into the flames.

"Always will, I hope," she said.

"Oh stop flirting and get on with it, you two," said McGonagall from her desk.

"Wha..?" said Ginny. But just then green flames engulfed her and she was zooming down the tunnels of the Floo.

o.o

Ginny landed, her face flaming pink, in the grate of the Burrow.

"Ginny!" A screech from some hazy place beyond the swirling ashes penetrated.

Ginny coughed and stood up, brushing ash off her clothes. She wiped her sleeve over her eyes, clearing her vision, and was engulfed by the warmth of a hug.

"Hermione!" she said, tears involuntarily filling her eyes. "Gosh, it's so good to see you again."

"And you," said Hermione, holding Ginny at arms length and looking her over. She was grinning ear to ear and glowing with a pure, unthinking happiness that Ginny hadn't seen on Hermione's face since Voldemort had returned so many years ago. "You look beautiful, per usual," said Hermione with a laugh, pulling Ginny back into another, quick hug.

Hermione pulled back suddenly and looked over as Harry arrived in the grate. She gave Ginny a very meaningful look, eyebrows raised.

Ginny looked past Hermione and there he was. Ron.

Ron was smiling. "Hey, Gin," he said. With a laugh of pure joy she threw herself at him and he hugged her back.

Why in the world had she put this off? Tears of joy streamed down her face. This was it, she thought, this was definitely Heaven.

o.o

**All right, I know not too much important happens in this chapter. Just some good ol' Ginny-Harry bonding and the reunion, but I'm setting things up, no worries. I have so many ideas and I would write more in this chap, but I want to put something up for you all to read while I write some more. I've been missing all your lovely reviews – so keep em' comin'!**


	6. Hermione's Secret

**Okay, here's another chappie. Enjoy:**

**Chapter 6**

**Hermione's Secret**

"So," Hermione said, taking Ginny's hand and sitting next to her on the couch. Ron plopped himself down on Ginny's other side and Harry sat beside him. "How are you?"

Ginny smiled. "Perfect," she said. "And you? What's happened with you? Gosh, I have so many questions," she finished in a rush.

"Well, unfortunately," cut in Mrs. Weasley from the kitchen doorway, "they'll have to wait until after lunch. Come on, all of you, to the table." The pink had returned to Mrs. Weasley's cheeks, Ginny noticed.

Hermione drew Ginny off a little to the side as they filed into the kitchen. She lowered her voice. "We need to talk," she said simply. She glanced at Ron and Harry closeby. "Later," she decided. Then, with a pang of guilt, Ginny remembered Hermione's hints of something important in the letters. In all the rush and excitement she had forgotten completely about her friend's news.

Fred and George had taken time off from the still thriving Wizard Wheezes and were sitting, napkins positioned comically at their necks as bibs, at the table, eyeing the veritable feast before them with shining eyes. Bill and Fleur had magically connected their chairs into a little bench and Fleur had scooted as close as possible to her husband of three years. Charlie had even arrived from Romania and seemed to be explaining the use of a rubber mouse toy to a furrow-browed Mr. Weasley.

"Welcome home, Gin-Gin," said George, not taking his eyes off the food.

"Yes, welcome, welcome," said Fred impatiently. "Mum, can we start in on all this?" he added.

"Oh, you two!" chided Mrs. Weasley, but her voice held amusement. Nothing could ruin this complete family reunion.

"Thank you, guys," said Ginny, taking a seat between Harry and Ron. "Mum, I didn't know everyone would be coming," she continued, turning to her mother.

"Oh, I know, dear. Isn't it a treat?" said Mrs. Weasley, piling a generous helping of mashed potatoes on Ron's plate. "Now, dear," she said as Ron began a protest. "You've got to get your fill. You're looking thin." To Ginny Ron looked more fit than ever, but she supposed Ron would always be thin to their mother's fawning eye.

"Are you all staying for Christmas?" said Harry, taking the words right out of Ginny's mouth. He turned and gave Ginny a sly grin. Ginny scowled at him.

"Well, I've only got a two day leave," said Charlie over a mouthful of ham. "So it's back to Romania tomorrow morning."

"And we promised Fleur's parents we'd be there for Christmas, so it's the same for us."

"And George and I are gone day after that," put in Fred.

"So it'll just be you four kiddies and the 'rents on the actual day," agreed George.

"Well, that's not _entirely _true," Mr. Weasley muttered, almost indiscernibly. Quickly he piled another spoonful of mashed potato into his mouth.

Mrs. Weasley's eyes narrowed. "What was that, Arthur?"

Mr. Weasley frantically pointed to his full mouth.

Mrs. Weasley glared rather wiltingly at her husband until he finished his mouthful and swallowed.

"Well…," he began nervously. "You see, Molly, the office…," he paused. "Well, I mean…Molly," he tried again.

"What Dad's trying to say, Mum," cut in George, "is that he's been called in to work on Christmas Day."

"And Christmas Eve," said Mr. Weasley quietly. He cleared his throat. "Has anyone got a water?" Harry passed Mr. Weasley his untouched glass.

"What!" Mrs. Weasley yelled. Everyone cringed. Seeming to realize she had just yelled, Molly lowered her voice to a dangerous whisper. "You've got to _work_, Arthur? The Christmas your son comes home from killing the worst dark wizard of all time, you've got to _work_?"

"Well, Mum," said Ron bravely. "It's not really a big deal. I mean…,"

"_Au contraire_!" Mrs. Weasley screeched, her accent terrible. "It is a _very_ big deal."

"Well," said Mr. Weasley, "Fred, George, Bill, Charlie, and Fleur won't be here so I don't see…,"

"Arthur!" Mrs. Weasley said shrilly.

"No, really, Mrs. Weasley," said Harry. "It's fine with all of us," he gestured to the three sitting beside him. Ginny nodded vigorously.

Mrs. Weasley turned her gaze on Harry then Ginny then Ron then Hermione and back to Harry. The table was completely quiet. Ginny thought it brought new meaning to the words "so silent you could hear a pin drop." She found herself holding her breath.

Mrs. Weasley sighed heavily. "All right then. I suppose if it's all right with all of you then I shouldn't be complaining."

Ginny saw Fred and George look and each other in shock and then at Harry in awe. Mr. Weasley blinked and quickly returned to his food before his wife changed her mind.

The rest of the meal passed very well. Mrs. Weasley for silent for only a minute or two before she seemed to decide that she ought to be happy that everyone was home. Moments later she was back to her regular, bubbly self, asking questions and telling everyone how thin they looked.

"Ribs, Gin?" queried Harry from beside her. Ginny looked up and she was trapped again. He was so close and his eyes were so…magical, for lack of a better word. Her stomach dropped and her heart pumped a little faster. Everything around her seemed to blur. She blinked and swallowed. Stop it, Ginny, she thought to herself.

"Erm…Ginny?" said Harry, his brow furrowed. "Are you okay?"

"Oh, erm…yeah…yeah, I'm fine," Ginny muttered, and forced a smile onto her mouth. Everything came back into focus and noise filled her ears again.

"So…ribs?"

"Oh, yeah, sure," she said. Harry slid a few sticky pieces onto her plate. Their hands brushed. Ginny pulled her hand back involuntarily, it was as though his touch had burned her. Harry didn't seem to notice.

Ginny felt the place where their skin had touched burn for minutes afterward.

o.o

"So Mum said you're back with Dean," said Ron. The four of them were clustered into Ron's attic room. Ginny and Hermione were sitting on the bed, leaning their backs on the wall, Harry and Ron lounged on the floor. Ron tried to make this comment sound nonchalant, but it didn't exactly work. He sounded a bit accusing.

Hermione gave Ron a glare. Ginny had a feeling that if they had been sitting at a table she would have kicked him. Obviously Hermione had warned Ron not to talk to Ginny about her love life. But what was said was said. Ginny cleared her throat.

"Not really…anymore," she said.

Harry looked up from a magazine that was open on the floor before him a little too quickly. They all heard his neck crack. "Ouch," he mumbled.

Ginny couldn't keep from snorting.

Harry narrowed his eyes at her and shook her head. "You just wait, Ginevra, you just wait," he said jokingly. Hermione rolled her eyes.

"So you're not dating Dean?" said Ron sternly.

Hermione glared at him again.

"Just wanted to confirm," said Ron sheepishly.

"No, I'm not dating Dean right now," said Ginny firmly.

"Okay. Good," said Ron. Was it just her imagination or did Ginny see her brother give Harry a meaningful glance. She shook it from her mind.

"How long ago did you break up?" Hermione asked. She sounded concerned.

"Oh," said Ginny, shrugging. "A few days ago."

"That long, eh?" said Ron, laughing a little. Hermione glared at him again. "Sorry," he mumbled. Ginny watched more closely this time. Ron definitely gave Harry a _look_. There was a long pause.

Hermione suddenly glanced at the slim watch on her wrist. "11 already!" she exclaimed. "Ginny and I had better get to bed."

"All right. See you," said Ron, scooting over to peer at Harry's magazine as well.

"Night," Ginny said, getting up off the bed.

Harry raised his hand in goodbye. "Night," he said.

o.o

Ginny knew that Hermione wanted to talk about whatever it was that was so important. The thing from the letters. It was the way in which Hermione opened her mouth, then closed it again, like a fish. Ginny decided to let Hermione come about to it whenever she liked. She made pleasant but pointless conversation as they shifted through their belongings. Ginny located her nightshirt, remembering for a moment the incident from earlier, and pulled it over her head. Finally Hermione sighed and Ginny stayed perfectly still in case any movement would cause Hermione to retreat from speaking.

"Ginny, we need to talk."

Ginny merely nodded and waited for Hermione to speak again.

"Well…there's this thing…and…well, there's this thing…wow, this is harder than I thought it would be," she drifted off with a humorless laugh.

"Just calm down," said Ginny gently, taking Hermione's hand and sitting her down on the bed beside her. "Just talk to me," she finished soothingly.

Hermione took a deep breath. "Okay," she said finally. "I'm so sorry Ginny, to push this onto you, but I still haven't said anything to anyone and it's been months now."

There was a long pause in which Hermione seemed to try to find the right words.

"Okay. I'm just going to say it…bluntly…because there's really no other way to say it."

"Okay," said Ginny, nodding and not taking her eyes off Hermione's face.

Hermione took a deep breath. "I'm pregnant."

o.o

It was the closest Ginny had ever come to fainting. She saw everything whirl around her and suddenly she was pulled back into a center she didn't know she had and a deafening silence crowded her ears.

"You're…,"

"Pregnant," said Hermione firmly, biting her lip.

Ginny got control of herself and her eyes widened as she took in the word slowly. Such a powerful word, Ginny thought.

"Pregnant," she repeated.

"Pregnant," Hermione confirmed.

"And…Ron?"

"Ron, yes, Ron," said Hermione.

"Ohmigosh," Ginny let it out in one big sigh. "Wow," she said finally. "How long?"

"4 months," said Hermione rather grimly.

"What? How?"

"I couldn't tell anyone without you here and I didn't know what to do so…," she paused, "I've been using a Concealment Charm and wearing flowy robes. I don't think anyone had noticed."

"Trust me," said Ginny, thinking of her mother's probable reaction, "no one has noticed."

"Okay good."

"Why good? You're going to have to tell, Hermione, and soon. You can do great Concealment Charms, but not _that_ great."

Hermione almost laughed. "I know, I know. But what do I do?"

"What do you do?" repeated Ginny, incredulous. "You tell Ron! And then you tell Mum! I can just see her reaction. She's going to flip but she'll be so happy. A grandmother. And me, an aunt!"

"I know! Isn't it crazy?" said Hermione, cheeks turning pink.

"Crazy," said Ginny.

"What are you, a parrot?" asked Hermione, a laugh escaping her. Ginny couldn't help laughing a little too. This was all so surreal.

Suddenly, at a realization, Ginny felt dinner rising from her stomach. This sensation must have registered on her face for Hermione looked at her, eyebrows raised in slight concern.

"That means that you…that you…that you and Ron…you and my brother…that you…," Ginny couldn't say it.

"That we had sex? Yes, I guess it does mean that," said Hermione, looking amused now that the hammer had been dropped.

Ginny couldn't help shivering a little at the thought. "Okay," she said hurriedly. "No details…please," she finished earnestly.

o.o

**All right. I know, rather abrupt ending…but whatever. I wonder how many of you absolutely KNEW Hermione was going to be pregnant. The next chapter will be fuzzy.**


	7. Ron's Secret

**I haven't been getting as many reviews lately as I might have hoped…I'm still writing though, cuz' I'm so caught up in this story! I hope you all like this chapter and will review at the end! Kudos to those of you that have been review, though!**

**Chapter 7**

**Ron's Secret**

Ginny barely slept. She slept, but on and off, knowing from Hermione's unsteady breathing and murmers that she wasn't the only one that couldn't get some shut-eye. Ginny thought she made out Hermione's little whispers, they seemed like rehearsals in variations of the news Ginny had heard only a few hours before.

As a result, Ginny was just about ready to drop the next morning. Despite her best efforts she was out of bed before six. Some vacation this was going to be, she thought wryly. What am I talking about? This is a good kind of waking up early! She was going to be an aunt! Sure, it would be four months, but it was still amazing! Somehow, overnight, shock had turned into excitement. Like the child a part of her still was, she couldn't help looking forward to seeing Ron's face when Hermione told him. It was a serious matter, but she couldn't help snorting at the thought.

Ginny pulled on a pair of lovely fuzzy socks and a some random lounge pants, rubbed her eyes, yawned, and moved lethargically out of the room and into the hall. At the stairwell she paused. She could hear soft mutterings and shufflings issuing from the lower floor. Lightly she moved downstairs.

She stopped again at the bottom, listening from behind the corner. A memory shifted gloomily at the back of her brain, but she wouldn't allow it entrance into her mind.

"Up so early, Gin?" Fred's voice addressing her nearly knocked Ginny flat from pure shock. She quickly looked around. Fred was all the way around the corner and she was safely concealed on the downstairs landing. "Ginevra," came George's voice, in mock weariness.

Ginny stiffened and stepped out from behind the corner, confusion written all over her face. "How…what? Have you gotten Moody's eye transplanted between you?" she asked.

"Shh!" cautioned George, pointing at his watch and then upwards to the second floor.

Ginny lowered her voice. "So…have you got Mad-Eyes magical eye or what?"

To Ginny's alarm Fred pulled back his eyelid and stepped toward her. She stepped back a little. Fred laughed…but quietly.

"It's a contact, Ginny, a contact," he said, still laughing.

"Our very own invention," continued George proudly.

"Though of course," noted Fred, who had recovered his poise, "based loosely upon Mad-Eye's visual apparatus."

"One of our store merchandise," said George. "Ten Galleons."

"Refined and refined and refined," said Fred sadly.

"Yes, you've no idea the trouble these caused," George said with a theatrical sigh, gesturing to his eyes. "You see, depth perception is all off when you can see through things. I mean, sure you can see someone on the other side of the wall, but what good does it do if you run _into_ the wall trying to get to them?"

"So," continued Fred, "we had to…," George joined him. "Refine and refine and refine."

"But finally…we got these!" exclaimed Fred. "It takes a bit of training to get used to them, your mind's got to _think_ a certain depth before the contact will slide to that plane."

"It's all very complex and ingenious," explained George. "Have a look." From the pocket of his dragon-skin cloak he produced a small plastic jar. Ginny stepped forward.

"Come on, come on, take it," said Fred. Ginny smelled something slightly fishy.

"Oh, open it. You're jumpy as a jackrabbit, just like you always were."

"Well, after Ron's spider incident…," Ginny said nervously.

"Well, obviously we're older now!" said George.

"Yes, obviously!" agreed Fred. Both had straight faces.

Ginny took the jar and opened the cap. A bunch of coiled springs in various sizes and colors flew out at her, bouncing as they reached their coiled limit. Ginny jumped a little but quickly regained her composure. She rolled her eyes.

Fred and George were laughing hysterically, pounding the couch with their fists. "Real mature, you two, extremely mature."

"An…old…haha," Fred managed between giggling fits, "Muggle invention. Really brilliant, don't you think?"

"Brilliant," said Ginny, rolling her eyes again. Waiting, hand on hip for her brothers to get a hold of themselves, she finally took in her surroundings. The twins' suitcases were set beside the couch, smells of a hearty breakfast issued from the kitchen. Finally calming himself, George caught Ginny's gaze.

"We had breakfast. Mum got up to cook it and then went straight up back to the fluffy down blankets we brought her."

"Got to get going now, don't you think, George?" saig Fred sturdily.

"Correct you are, Fred," agreed George.

"See ya, little sis." They both spoke together and walked over, bowing flourishing bows to Ginny. George took out his wand and pointed it at their luggage. With a little zap each suitcase shrank to the size of a walnut. These Fred scooped up into his hand and transferred to his pocket. Then, coats swishing confidently, the twins moved towards the door.

"After you, George," said Fred.

"No, I insist, Fred, after you." With a little nod and a grin Fred walked out of the house. George gave Ginny a wink before he, too, followed.

o.o

Ginny shook her head, laughing quietly. She wandered into the kitchen and, flicking her wand, produced two eggs from the thin air.

She caught one neatly in the palm of her hand the other at the edge of that same left hand, her wand occupying her right.

"Smooth," came a voice from the table behind her. Ginny gave an involuntary shriek and hastily lowered her voice to a whisper.

"Harry, what the hell are you doing here?" she said, annoyed that he had heard her shriek.

Harry looked amused. He didn't seem to have an answer. "Erm…,"

"Ah ha!" Ginny said, her voice remaining at a whisper. It rather ruined the effect. "Mr. Harry Potter hasn't got a snappy comeback, I see!"

"I bow to your witty superiority," Harry admitted graciously.

Ginny paused, letting the statement sink into the silence, smiling a smug little smile. "I thought so," she said finally, turning back to the eggs.

She knew Harry was still looking at her and the thought made her blush a little. She fumbled around a little with the eggs, not quite sure what she had intended to do with them. Oh yes, cook and eat. Cook and eat, Ginny, just concentrate: Cook and eat.

"What are you planning on doing with…?" Harry asked from the table.

"Cook and eat," said Ginny, rather too quickly. She blushed, turned, and laughed aloud. Harry was laughing too. "I'm planning on cooking these eggs and then eating them," she said slowly.

"Okay," said Harry firmly. "How are you going to cook them?"

Ginny shrugged. "Well, I kinda was just going to…," she faded away, not quite sure what Harry was asking.

"Using magic?"

"Yes, using magic," said Ginny, laughing rather confusedly.

"Well today, Gin Weasley, you are going to learn how to cook eggs _properly_," said Harry firmly, standing up.

"I'm…wait…what?" said Ginny, rather taken aback. It was all so random.

"I'm going to teach you to cook eggs like a Muggle," said Harry. His face was deathly serious.

Ginny grinned. "All right then. Proceed."

"We're starting with the easiest…Sunny-Side," said Harry.

"Fine, just fine," said Ginny, pulling her face into shape modeling Harry's somber features.

"All right, good. Firstly, we need a pan."

Ginny thought for a long moment before scurrying to a cobwebby drawer. She whisked it open with a bit too much strength and promptly emptied its contents onto the floor.

Harry obviously couldn't hold his act together. He snorted.

"Are you laughing at me, Harry Potter?" said Ginny sternly.

Harry bit his lip in a desperate attempt to maintain his expression. "Of course not," he said, but another snort escaped him. Ginny's face collapsed as well and she fell to the floor in a cross-legged position, laughing uncontrollably at the absurdity of it all.

They laughed for a few minutes before Harry spoke.

"Ginny, seriously. We're never getting breakfast at this rate and I'm really hungry," he laughed. Ginny cleared her throat and got up.

"Sir, yes sir," she said, laughing still. She rummaged through the wreckage of the drawer on the floor and located a grease-stained pan with a never-been-washed air about it. "Ugh," she said, involuntarily.

At the sight of pan, coupled with the expression on Ginny's face, Harry burst into laughter all over again.

"'Zis is not acceptable!" Ginny said in perfect Phlegm tones.

This only made the two of them laugh harder. Harry drew his wand and flicked it. The pan was instantly spotless. "There," he murmered and settled it onto the stove.

"Okay," he said. Ginny moved in front of the stove, Harry standing beside and behind her, peering over her shoulder. "So you have to hold the pan at the handle while you crack the egg with the other hand." Ginny placed her hand on the handle.

"No," said Harry gently, "You've got to make sure you keep it on the heat properly." He placed his hand over hers. That was when, for Ginny, everything stopped. Harry broke off midsentence and looked down at her, a gentleness in his eyes that made Ginny's heart skip a beat.

Hesitantly he leaned in.

"What the bloody hell is going on down here?" Ginny stiffened and Harry quickly pulled away. The moment was gone in an instant. There, still blinking away sleep, was Ron.

A long, rather awkward silence followed in which Ginny felt her face getting slowly redder and redder. "Harry was just teaching me how to…make eggs," she explained lamely. She knew how idiotic it sounded, but it was the truth, after all.

"I'll bet you were," muttered Ron, rolling his eyes and plopping down in one of the kitchen chairs. "Just because I've given my permission for you two to be together doesn't mean I want to catch you snogging around every bloody corner."

"Harry and I aren't together," said Ginny, rather too quickly.

"Oh," said Ron, rolling his eyes again, " right, whatever. But same applies."

"And what's that about?" said Ginny, annoyed.

"What's what?"

"The whole rolling your eyes thing," Ginny said.

"Nothing," said Ron unconvincingly.

"Well then keep it to yourself," said Ginny sharply. Ron raised his hands in a peaceful gesture.

"All right, all right. I see your temper hasn't changed much," he added.

Ginny bit back a comment. She glanced at Harry who had been watching this whole exchange with a carefully impassive face. She sighed heavily.

"So it's on the heat, Harry," she said smoothly. "Then what?"

Harry grinned at her and stepped forward once more. "Then you crack the egg over the…."

o.o

Ginny shared a heart-to-heart breakfast with Harry and Ron. Ron wondered the whole time where Hermione was, Ginny just smiled into her eggs.

"These eggs are amazing, Harry," she said. Harry grinned. Ron rolled his eyes, as he had been doing quite frequently lately.

"Wonder where Hermione is…," he mused.

"Ron!" Ginny couldn't help blurting out. "You just said those exact words ten seconds ago. The girl needs her beauty sleep, you just got back three months ago for God's sake! Calm down!"

Harry snorted. Ron scowled good-naturedly. There was a pause and then suddenly he spoke breathlessly as though he had been dying to say this forever, as though he had held it inside for a long time.

"I'm just so…I don't know how to describe it. I'm just so…with her it's like…it's like…it's like wanting to scream with happiness every second…it's like there's something here," he gestured to the top of his stomach. He sighed, staring off past Ginny and Harry. The two exchanged glances.

"Sounds like love, mate," said Harry suddenly.

"And what would you know about love, Harry Potter?" joked Ginny. He looked at her and his face reddened just a little. He didn't reply.

Ron sighed again. "It is love, isn't it? It must be," he seemed to be deciding something. Harry and Ginny glanced at eachother again, Ron was still staring dreamily off into space. Then he spoke again, slowly, and as he did a smile crept onto his face.

"I've thought it must be love. And so I got this." He dug into an inner pocket of his robes and pulled out a little box. Ginny gave a sharp intake of breath. Ron gingerly pried it open, but with an ease that suggested he had been practicing. Ginny looked at Harry whose face was alight with a smile.

"I got it from Grandma when we went by to visit right when we got back. You know, the one that Grandpa got carved by the goblins. The one she said we'd have to pry off her cold, dead fingers." Ginny couldn't help smiling. She nodded. She remembered. Looking down on it, she knew it _was_ goblin-made. A clear, sparkling diamond seemed to wink back at her in the light filtering through the windows. Set in pink-tinged silver it was surrounded by tiny carved hearts that melted away around the loop.

"It's beautiful," she breathed.

"I've been looking for the perfect moment. And I'm going to ask her. I'm going to ask Hermione to marry me."

o.o

**There. Yay! This was a long one, wasn't it! Please review, tell me what you think should happen next!**


	8. The Perfect Moment

**I'm genuinely amazed that I've managed to get this far in this story! Read on…thanks for all the reviews, by the way!**

**Chapter 8**

**The Perfect Moment**

Upon reflection, Ginny realized that she had always known, really. She had known without any doubt whatsoever that Ron and Hermione were meant to be together. This fact, however, did little to ease the amazement she felt at everything that had happened in the past 24 hours.

After making his decision, Ron seemed to drift back out of his reverie. "It should be at Hogwarts, shouldn't it? Where I fell in love with her," he said suddenly. Ginny had to marvel at her brother's capacity for romance. She hadn't known he had it in him.

"Yes," she said, without hesitation. "She'll like that." Harry nodded his agreement.

"Christmas Eve," Harry added. Ginny was genuinely shocked.

"You two! Who would have thought…," she marveled.

Harry grinned and Ron gave a distracted laugh.

"But," Ginny said, "seeing as you two are being the romantic ones, I've got to be practical. Christmas Eve is tomorrow night."

Ron shook his head. "Not a problem."

"I'll call McGonagall," said Harry. "How're we getting there?"

"Floo's not exactly romantic," Ginny laughed. The boys snorted at the thought.

"Brooms," said Ron decidedly.

"But Hermione's rather…," said Ginny slowly.

"Terrible. On brooms," finished Harry bluntly.

"She can ride with me," said Ron.

"Can you handle having two people?" Ginny asked.

"Yes," said Ron.

"You'd be surprised how much Ron has improved on brooms," nodded Harry seriously. Ginny shrugged and let it go.

"Wait," Ginny said, "Didn't you say, Ron, that you wanted to wait for the perfect time? Spur of the moment?"

Ron shrugged it off and looked Ginny in the eye. "I'm creating the perfect moment," he said with a laugh. Ginny couldn't deny his logic.

o.o

When Ginny went back upstairs Hermione was sitting on her bed, muttering a rehearsal under her breath.

"I'm going to do it," she said, without looking up.

"Do what?" said Ginny, though she already knew what.

"Tell him. Tell Ron. I'm just going to…," she took a deep breath, "Tell him."

"Okay," said Ginny, the weight of Ron's secret burning her. If only Hermione knew how much he loved her…though perhaps she would only be more nervous.

"But you have to be there with me," said Hermione. A statement, not a question.

"Hermione," said Ginny hesitantly, "isn't it sorta a private…sorta thing?"

Hermione shook her head vigorously and swallowed.

"Okay," said Ginny hurriedly. "I'll come. But you have to tell him yourself."

"Yeah, I will," said Hermione, biting her lip. "What do you think he'll do?"

"Frankly, I have no idea," said Ginny truthfully. Hermione bit her lip so hard it bled. Ginny quickly moved on from the "Ron's Reaction" part of it. She would have changed the subject, but she didn't think Hermione's mind could move anywhere else. "When are you going to tell him?"

"Tonight. After dinner…probably. Do you think that's good? After dinner?" said Hermione in a frazzle.

"After dinner is fine. But won't Harry be there?"

Hermione looked up at Ginny for the first time. "I don't care," said Hermione finally. "Harry can be there…or whatever. Harry's like family."

"Does he know?" said Ginny.

Hermione shook her head, breathing steadily now, calming herself. "No," she said.

Ginny just nodded, not sure what to say now. Hermione flopped back onto the bed and stared up at the ceiling. Quietly, Ginny crept out of the room.

o.o

Dinner that night was a quieter affair. With Fred, George, Bill and Fleur all gone that morning, the table was set for only six.

Hermione was nearly silent, moving her food absentmindedly around her plate, obviously nervous to the core. Ginny felt for her, but didn't say a word.

Harry talked animatedly to Mr. Weasley, although by the glances he threw Hermione he wasn't a little concerned. Ron ate hearty amounts and joined in Ginny and Mrs. Weasley's conversation about the new de-gnoming techniques.

"If you ask me, it's all too much technology," Mrs. Weasley was saying.

"But easier, don't you think, Mum? Imagine, no more spinning them over our heads…no more tying them to Christmas trees for being evil blighters," said Ron.

"What was that last bit?" said Mrs. Weasley, eyes narrowing in suspicion. Ginny cleared her throat loudly, giving Ron time to think.

"Oh nothing, just something George and Fred were discussing. Not that they ever did…anything…like…," he trailed off and looked down at his plate, suddenly very interested in his pile of snow peas.

Ginny couldn't help rolling her eyes. Ron would always be a kid to her, no matter if he were asking a certain girl to be his wife.

Ron turned and looked at Hermione for a moment before saying quietly, leaning in and speaking gently in her ear. "Are you all right?"

"Yeah, fine," said Hermione with a smile, but Ginny could tell that Ron wasn't buying it. To Ginny's relief he let it go.

Ginny caught Hermione's eye and smiled kindly. Hermione managed to smile back. Ginny clicked her chin up and Hermione's smile broadened. "Cheer up," Ginny mouthed. Hermione grinned.

Ginny looked back down at her plate. Much as she wished she could keep her mind on Ron's and Hermione's secrets, she didn't seem to be able to. All she had been able to think about was that kiss that Ron had interrupted. She had only kissd Harry once since he had returned and even that had been interrupted by the untimely appearance of Dean. When he had been leaning in, about to kiss her, she had felt the beginnings of something she had never felt before. She wanted, in some deep depth of her heart, to feel it again.

o.o

After dinner Ginny went quietly back upstairs. Hermione, who had scrambled away from the table after the last bite was off her plate, met her at the top of the stairs.

"Hermione," Ginny said, trying to keep her voice gentle and even, "You've got to stop being so…aloof…Ron and Harry are kinda freaked out."

"I know, I'm trying."

"Well, you've got to go back down there, then."

Hermione bit her lip. "Okay," she agreed, plastering a smile on her face.

As the two walked down the stairs, arm in arm, Ginny spoke. "He love you, you know."

"Yes, but how much?" Hermione said. It was more of a statement than a question, Ginny knew, but she felt compelled to answer all the same.

"You'd be surprised," she said. Hermione glanced at her with raised eyebrows.

Ginny remained silent and kept her face serene with a thin smile.

The guys were in the living room, Harry shuffling a deck of Muggle playing cards from Fred and George's shop. They both looked up briefly as the two girls entered. Ginny smiled as she realized that Harry's eyes lingered a little on her and Ron's stayed with Hermione.

"What are you boys playing?" Hermione said. Ginny looked up and, to her relief, Hermione's face was bright with a grin. She really was trying to act like nothing was wrong.

"Blackjack," said Harry. Ginny raised her eyebrows.

"Hermione taught us," explained Ron. "You see, the point is to get a 21…."

"Michael taught me," Ginny said. "Deal me in."

"I'm in too," said Hermione. The two of them settled on the floor. Ginny's picked up her hand, but her mind wasn't on the cards. As luck would have it, she was seated beside Harry, who she couldn't help glancing up at. Harry wasn't concentrating on the game either, his eyes kept flickering towards her. Occasionally their eyes met and they both looked down in embarassment. Ginny couldn't help laughing a little at how childish it was.

"Hit me," Ginny said to Ron. Ron handed her a card. "Dammit," she said under her breath. 22.

"I'm staying," said Harry slowly.

"Well," said Hermione hesitantly.

"Oh, take a risk, Hermione!" Ron exclaimed.

"Oh, all right. Hit me." Hermione glanced at her card before settling it into her hand, a mild grin on her face.

Ron took his own advice at took a card. Then Hermione spoke.

"Ron…we need to talk." Ron looked up immediately. Ginny had an idea what he was thinking. Oh, how wrong you are, Ron. But Hermione plunged on, not waiting for Ron to speak.

"I should have told you forever ago, but I didn't and so I've got to tell you now." Ron was looking more and more alarmed with each word. Ginny saw him fiddling with the little ring box in his pocket.

"I'm pregnant."

There was a rather long silence during which Ron's expression was unfathomable and Harry, who had been determinedly looking down at his cards, blinked a lot. Then suddenly, alarmingly, Ron looked almost relieved.

"I thought you were going to dump me," he said, relieved laughter filling his voice.

"Ron!" Hermione said, obviously surprised.

"But," continued Ron, "it was just that one time that we did…just before the final battle…I mean that was…,"

"4 months ago," said Hermione.

"Wow," said Ron in wonderment. "That one time and you're…."

"Pregnant," said Hermione. She was white, as though she expected Ron to explode any moment. Ginny didn't blame her. This wasn't the reaction she had envisioned either. Although, what had she envisioned? There was a pause in which Hermione turned paler and paler by degrees.

"Wow…I'm good," said Ron.

Ginny almost choked on nothing at all. A disgusted comment along the lines of "Oh, Ron, EW!" was on the tip of her tongue, but it never left her lips because suddenly Ron was on one knee.

Hermione's colored quickly as blood rushed to her face.

"Do you love me?" Ron was saying.

Hermione blinked slowly, as though in a dream. She nodded, biting her lip. Ron fumbled in his pocket and pulled out the ring box. He clicked it open.

"Marry me, Hermione," he said.

And then suddenly Hermione was laughing and crying at the same time. Ron stepped forward, took her tear-stained in his hands and kissed her. He stepped back, looking even a little surprised at his own actions.

He was laughing then, "I was going to propose at Hogwarts because that was where we fell in love. But then I just…I don't know why I did that just now…I…I love you," he finished.

"What you did," said Hermione, smiling, "was perfect."

The cards lay on the ground, forgotten. Ron glanced down at them. "You had a 21," he said.

"I took a risk," said Hermione, laughing.

Ginny knew that she was surveying the scene through tear-blurred eyes. She felt that this was the time to leave. She got up and walked out of the room, smiling more broadly than she could remember. She turned the corner and sank down against the wall. She smiled and cried, cried tears of pure joy.

She felt Harry come out into the hall and sink down beside her. He laughed softly and brushed away one of her tears. "You cry a lot," he said.

She laughed.

o.o

**So there it is! What do you think? Review, please!**


	9. What I'm Thinking

**Chapter 9, Chapter 9, Chapter 9! Enjoy:**

**Chapter 9**

**What I'm Thinking**

Harry and Ginny sat together in the hall for an hour. The strange thing was, Ginny didn't even feel the minutes pass, it was like one long moment.

"Ron and Hermione," said Ginny, testing out the pairing on her tongue.

"Finally, huh?" said Harry with a laugh. Ginny grinned.

"They were always gonna end up together," Ginny added. Glancing over, she realized that Harry was looking at her with that look, again. That look. Suddenly looked away and laughed.

"You know what's really crazy?"

"What?"

"They said they did…it…," he began awkwardly, "the night before the final battle…." He paused and Ginny nodded. "Well, that night, I left the shelter to go for a walk. So while I was pacing the forest from nervousness they were in there…." He laughed. Ginny snorted.

"Well obviously they weren't as worried about it as you." Harry shrugged, still smiling. A pause then Ginny spoke. "So another wedding?"

"I guess so," Harry agreed.

"Hopefully Hermione doesn't favor gold on bridesmaids," Ginny said with a laugh.

Harry laughed. "Who said you're going to be a bridesmaid?" he asked teasingly.

Ginny grinned. "Harry. Hermione's an only child with only male friends."

"Other than you."

"Correct," she paused, "But my brother on the other hand…he's got four brothers to choose from, not including Percy. So your definite position as Best Man may not be as definite as you think."

Harry grinned. "Hard to get around your logic," he admitted.

Ginny looked up at him and saw his profile. Her heart thumped harder. Every time she looked at him she couldn't help thinking about that kiss….

Harry looked down at her and then he was leaning in again. Ginny sighed and closed her eyes. She bit her lip in frustration as Hermione's voice filtered into the hallway. Harry sighed.

"Where could they have got to?"

"Probably snogging somewhere," Ron muttered.

"Ron!"

"Well, it's true. Although, we should probably go find them…it's been an hour."

Ginny pulled away just as Ron's head poked around the corner.

"There you are! What have you two been up to out here?

"Nothing," said Ginny quickly. It was true, after all.

"Talking," Harry added hastily.

Ron raised his eyebrows, grinning in post-success euphoria. "Shall we continue our blackjack game?" he asked abruptly. Ginny laughed.

"Sure," Hermione answered for her. They all mulled back into the living room. Ginny settled down with her back resting against the couch and Harry slipped down beside her, picking up his cards and giving Ginny a look. Ginny smiled back, challenge in her eyes.

o.o

They played late into the night and Harry won blackjack by a landslide. Ginny stuck her tongue out at him. He shrugged and grinned. Ron cast his cards down and pulled Hermione up off the floor. He jumped onto the couch and pulled her down beside him. Just then Mrs. Weasley popped her head around the corner.

Ginny noticed, out of the corner of her eye, Hermione hide the hand on which the ring now sat prominently in her lap. Ginny wasn't surprised. Knowing what Mrs. Weasley's reaction would probably be, she wasn't surprised that Hermione wanted to get into that on her own terms.

"When are you kiddies going to go to bed?" she asked gently, glancing at the clock on the wall. "It is ten o' clock after all," she added.

Ginny shrugged, so did Ron. "Well, I'm going to tuck in, dears," Mrs. Weasley said.

As soon as Mrs. Weasley's bedroom door could be heard to close Ginny turned to Ron and Hermione. "When are you going to tell her?" she asked.

Ron shrugged. "The sooner the better, I suppose," he remarked. Hermione nodded her agreement.

"Sooner as in…tomorrow?" Harry said slowly.

Hermione and Ron looked at each other for a long moment, then both seemed to agree silently. They looked back at Harry and Ginny. "Tomorrow night," Hermione said.

o.o

Ginny woke up with her head resting on Harry's shoulder. She sat up groggily and looked around. Ron and Hermione had fallen asleep cuddled on the couch. She and Harry had remained sitting and slowly drifted into sleep. Ginny shifted her shoulders and groaned with the pain that rushed through them. Last time I sleep sitting up, she thought.

Beside her, Harry stirred. He glanced around and smiled at Ginny, sleepy eyed. Ginny smiled back and looked past him out the window. The sun was just rising. She realized that her hair must look terrible and that Harry was looking straight at her, but she also realized that she wasn't especially mortified. She always felt beautiful when Harry looked at her like that. She felt…exquisite. She knew she was thinking about that kiss again. She looked back at Harry. He looked especially cute and unkempt this morning.

He was leaning in again and Ginny smiled a little. And then Ron was stirring and so was Hermione. Ginny let out a huge sigh of frustration.

"Good morning, you two," Ron was saying. Ginny was having a hard time pulling her mind away from that kiss.

Hermione, full of energy suddenly (probably from pure joy, Ginny knew), bounced down onto the ground with them. Ginny eyed her cautiously. She was suddenly concerned for Hermione's baby. Since when did she get maternal yearnings?

Ginny glanced back at Harry beside her. "Third time," she mouthed and rolled her eyes. Harry laughed.

o.o

They did various chores that morning. Degnoming the garden, the old-fashioned way at Mrs. Weasley's insistence, hanging the laundry, cleaning their bedrooms. But the entire time Ginny couldn't concentrate. It seemed that that third almost-kiss had pulled thoughts of Harry into the very front of her mind and she found herself reverting to them over and over again. She knew that Harry could just pull her around a corner and kiss her when Ron and Hermione weren't looking, but she knew he wouldn't. For Harry, as well as herself, it had to be the right moment, or it meant little.

It wasn't until they all retreated into the garden, that these new thoughts were pushed back by a flood of memories. There was the little clearing and Hermione, seeming to realize as well, drew her wand and immediately conjured a plain stone bench and another just opposite of it. She turned to see Ginny's smile and Ron's and Harry's dawning expressions.

"You're forgetting something, Hermione," Ginny said, grinning. She pulled out her wand and produced four pluffy cushions from thin air that settled lovingly on the benches.

Hermione nodded with a smile. She beckoned them forward and sat down on the bench. Ginny pranced forward and sat down opposite Hermione. The boys sat as well and they all laughed, full of memories and small feelings of absurdity at this little reenactment.

"We must be getting old if we replay old experiences," Harry laughed.

"No," said Ginny, staring right at him. "More has just happened to us."

"You're right," Harry said.

o.o

The four of them talked late into the evening and a cheery Mrs. Weasley brought their dinners out to them on trays. She could be seen from far off, magically shuffling the four laden trays before her. Ginny saw Ron and Hermione glance at each other in mutual decision.

"Here you are, dears," Mrs. Weasley said, directing the platters to their respective owners.

Ginny received her dinner with a small smile and a quiet thank-you.

"Mum…," said Ron hesitantly.

"Yes, dear?" said Mrs. Weasley, concentrating on pushing a rather stubborn tray into Harry's lap.

"Mrs. Weasley?" said Hermione, trying to draw the woman's full attention to the conversation at hand.

"Get over there you…," cried Mrs. Weasley, the frustration breaking into her voice. She pointed flicked her wand rather too firmly at the platter, which flew into Harry's stomach with a thump. Harry groaned. "Oh, sorry dear!" said Mrs. Weasley. Once reassured that Harry was all right she looked over to Ron and Hermione.

"What was it you wanted, dearies?" she smiled sweetly.

Ginny saw Ron's Adam's Apple bob nervously as he swallowed.

"Well…Mrs. Weasley…," Hermione said haltingly.

Ginny looked over at Harry, who glanced toward her and held her gaze. Ginny bit her lip, eyes wide, and Harry shrugged. She knew that they both felt more than a little awkward at the moment.

Mrs. Weasley raised her eyebrows. Her mother's intuition told her quite plainly that this was important.

Ron took a deep steadying breath and spoke. "I've asked Hermione to marry me," he said.

The words sank in and a small smile crept slowly onto Mrs. Weasley's lips. Her eyes began to sparkle, filling with tears, but she didn't speak yet.

"And I've said yes," Hermione added hurriedly, holding out her hand to display the ring on her finger.

Suddenly Mrs. Weasley gave a little squeal of delight. Ginny jumped. The plump woman dove onto the bench between the couple and took both their hands in hers, smiling fit to burst, tears of joy streaming down her face.

"Oh, you two! I'm so…I'm so happy for you," she said in a rush, letting forth another squeal. "Is that…well…that's can't be your grandmother's ring, can it?" she gasped, looking down awestruck at the sparkling diamond.

"It is…actually," said Ron sheepishly.

"Oh!" Mrs. Weasley cried, "It looks so beautiful on you, darling! Oh," and tears were welling up again. Mrs. Weasley put her hand to her heart and just looked lovingly from Ron to Hermione and back again.

Hermione and Ron smiled as well, but glanced nervously at each other. "Well…there's more…Mrs. Weasley…," Hermione said slowly.

"Please, dearie, call me Mum…it's really…all this Mrs. Weasley nonsense from my new daughter. Oh, this is absolutely _wonderful_!" she cried.

"All right…well…erm," Hermione was clearly becoming more uncomfortable by the second. The smile on her face was pure plaster now, Ginny could tell. "There's more that…Ron and I have to tell you."

Ron nodded.

Mrs. Weasley sighed contentedly, calming herself. She tried to pull her face into a serious expression, but it wasn't exactly working. An almost comical smile seemed permanently glued beneath her nose. She sighed again. "Yes, what is it?" she managed, still grinning.

"Well," said Ron, "Well…Hermione's got some news for you," he finished lamely, giving a gaping Hermione an apologetic look.

Hermione spoke. "Ron and I are going to have a baby," she said plainly.

The carefree smile flew from Mrs. Weasley's face in a flash. Ginny saw Ron wince and Hermione's face turn white as chalk. There was a long, awkward, painful silence before Mrs. Weasley spoke.

"You mean…," she said slowly, "You mean…you mean…." Ginny bit her lip and glanced over to Harry who was doing likewise, steadying himself for the blow.

"You mean…you mean….you mean that I'm going to be a grandmother?" Mrs. Weasley cried, the smile (bigger, if that was possible) gleaming from her face once more.

Hermione's face colored so quickly that Ginny was almost worried for the poor girl's health. "Yes," she said, laughing, because suddenly Mrs. Weasley was hysterical. Tears of pure joy were streaming down her plump cheeks and she was laughing. Laughing and crying at the same time. Mrs. Weasley pulled Ron and Hermione into a tight hug, bursting with a happiness that Ginny hadn't known was possible.

She looked over to Harry, who was looking at her as well. Their eyes locked and they nodded in agreement. Quietly, not wanting to disturb the tight bundle of happiness before them, they slipped away from the little clearing and back to the house.

o.o

Harry opened the door for Ginny as they reached the side door to the living room and Ginny collapsed onto the couch, tear streaks running down her face. She sighed contentedly and Harry fell into place beside her. His cheeks were flushed, as she knew hers were too, at the pure excitement of it all.

"Wow," he said simply, glancing over at her.

"Wow is right," she agreed.

"That went well."

"You're telling me," she said, nodding.

They sat in silence for some time, just soaking in the wonderful way in which the events had concluded. "So…," said Harry finally.

"So," said Ginny. There was a pause.

"This is only a little awkward," said Harry slowly.

"Yeah," Ginny agreed, "But there's no one I would rather be awkward with," she added, grinning.

Harry laughed.

"All right," said Ginny finally. "A game. Remember that challenge? We're going to test your Legilimency abilities," she said.

Harry smiled, recalling Ginny's challenge. "Okay, then. Think of something."

"I'm getting there, I'm getting there," Ginny said, making a slowing motion with her arms. "Okay, got it. What am I thinking of?"

"You have to look at me, though," Harry said.

"Oh, all right," conceded Ginny and she looked at him, straight into his eyes. She concentrated hard on keeping her mind on the topic at hand.

"A turkey?" Harry said, confused.

"What? I'm hungry," Ginny said, "Whoa, you're pretty darn good at this. Okay, another."

"Hedwig."

"McGonagall in fluffy pink robes."

"Fang."

One by one he read her mind until she was desperately looking for topics.

"Tonks with bright blue hair," said Harry.

"Ah ha! Gotcha!" Ginny said, frenzied.

"What?" said Harry.

"It's Tonks with _neon_ blue hair!" Ginny said, laughing at her own desperate attempt.

"Oh, come on!" Harry said, laughing also, "It's obviously bright!"

"Neon."

"Bright."

"Neon."

"All right fine, neon," Harry said, gasping for breath between laughs.

Finally the two calmed themselves, breathing hard, as though they had been running. "Okay, one more. What am I thinking?" said Ginny. Laughing had muddled her concentration and she let her thoughts drift. She was gazing into his eyes, those bright green eyes. They were the most intense eyes she had ever seen, but she could sense the gentleness behind them. And her mind wandered to that kiss, the interrupted kiss.

Harry thought for a long moment, returning her gaze. Then finally he spoke.

"You're thinking…about this." He cupped her face in his hands and leaned in. Ginny closed her eyes as their lips met. His caring engulfed her in a kiss so gentle that she no longer felt the couch beneath her nor the floor under her feet. Everything in time stopped but for her and Harry and that kiss. Slowly the kiss intensified until they broke apart, breathing hard.

Catching her breath, Ginny smiled and spoke.

"Apparently you know exactly what I'm thinking."

o.o

**Sorry this one took so long, but first I had serious Writer's Block and then I went on vacation. And now I'm back! Hope you enjoyed this one, it is rather long. Tell me what you think…I live for reviews! Oh, and one other thing – Can anyone tell me what a britpicker is? Thankies, ta ta.**


	10. Weren't They Always?

**This is IT…the 10th chapter! I get more and more amazed as I keep thinking of stuff to continue this story. Who knew it would ever make it to 10 complete chapters? Don't worry, I have no intentions of abandoning…read on:**

**Chapter 10**

**Weren't They Always?**

Ginny conjured a magazine from thin air and turned, putting her feet up on the couch and leaning against Harry's side. She turned a little, adjusting herself, and saw Harry's not-sure-this-is-real look. A small smile was on his face and he was looking tenderly at her face, but not quite _seeing_ her. It was the kind of look Ron got when he was daydreaming.

"What?" she asked, an uncertain smile on her face.

"What what?" Harry queried back, eyebrows raised, expression normal again.

"That look on your face…," she said, turning back and throwing a couch pillow at him playfully.

"What look?" he asked, laughing and throwing the pillow right back.

"The look you just had on your face, Harry Potter!"

Harry reddened a little. "Nothing," he said quickly, "What are you reading?"

"You are changing the subject!" Ginny said, laughing and throwing the pillow again.

"Exactly," said Harry matter-of-factly and thrust the pillow back into her arms.

Ginny rolled her eyes, grinning. "Newswitch," she said, reddening slightly at how stupid that word sounded to even her own ears.

Harry laughed, pulled out his wand, and produced a broom magazine from his room upstairs.

"Whatever happened to your Firebolt, anyway?" Ginny asked, glancing at the pages of Harry's magazine as he flipped through.

Harry looked up and Ginny matched his gaze. Looking into her eyes his green eyes sparkled suddenly. "What?" said Ginny as Harry abruptly stood up. "What?" she said again, making to follow him as he went to the stairs.

"Hold on," said Harry, grinning. He held up a finger, "Be right back," and he dashed upstairs.

Ginny blinked and sat back down on the edge of the couch. She was just about to pick up her magazine again when she heard Harry's footsteps bounding back down the stairs. He arrived back in the room, face flushed like a little boy. Ginny couldn't help grinning brightly back.

"What's that behind your back?" she asked.

Harry didn't answer. Instead he rushed forward, grabbed her by the hand and pulled her out the side door and back into the garden. "What?" said Ginny again.

"We're going for a ride," said Harry, stopping just outside the house, on a grassy patch, and producing his Firebolt from behind his back. Ginny's face lit up and she saw Harry grin at her reaction.

"Come on," said Harry expectantly, mounting the broomstick. Ginny laughed out loud. He was still Harry, after all. Apparently battle-hardened Harry Potter was just the same as the Harry Potter she had first met. The Harry Potter you loved, she added to herself.

She blushed a little at the thought and, at Harry's beckoning gesture, made to climb on behind him.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa, missy," said Harry suddenly. Ginny looked up at him quizzically.

"What makes you think I'm flying?" he said, a mischevious grin on his face.

"What?" said Ginny, "Me? Steer?"

Harry laughed at the look on her face and nodded.

"Lemme just get this straight," said Ginny slowly, "You want _me_ to fly _your_ Firebolt?"

"Mmhmm," said Harry simply, gesturing a hand before him.

"But it's your _Firebolt_," Ginny said again.

"Yeah," said Harry, still laughing. "Ginny, you're _Ginny_, remember? Remember your fifth year, Quidditch Finals? You won the cup for Gryffindor. Remember?" he said.

"Yeah," said Ginny slowly, grinning at the memory. "That was the night we…," she broke off. It was the night they had starting going out…she remembered all right. And from the look in Harry's eyes, he remembered as well. "Okay," said Ginny finally. And she climbed on in front of Harry.

"Just so you know," she said, "I've never ridden one of these things before."

Harry shrugged, "It's pretty much the same as any other broom."

Ginny turned around, scandalized. "This is a _Firebolt_!"

Harry looked back at her, biting his lip to keep from laughing, Ginny could tell. "Just fly, Gin," he said simply.

Grinning broadly, Ginny turned back to face front and pushed off the ground.

The moment she felt the wind brush her face, she was in seventh heaven. It had been months since she'd flown, but it was like returning to a shiny bike. You never forgot, or stopped loving it. She laughed out loud and felt Harry's arms around her waist, holding on, but not hard. Ginny knew he didn't need to really, his balance was perfect. But she didn't mind his touch, it was…comforting…in a way she didn't understand.

"See?" she heard Harry's voice in her ear, "It's feel just like riding any other broom."

Ginny felt his hands on her waist and replied. "Not exactly," she said and accelerated.

o.o

The stars in the sky were brilliant. Just by being in the air (and with Harry, she had to admit), Ginny felt that they were closer than usual. "You said you were hungry, right?" Harry's voice, in her ear again. They had kept up a light conversation for the hours they had been in the air. Ginny knew, without any watch, that it was near to midnight.

"Is anything open?"

"There are lights down there," Harry said, shrugging.

"Okay," said Ginny, and turned the broom downwards. She headed for a dark patch, where the streetlights didn't reach. "It's a Muggle town," she said to Harry, in explanation as they landed. He nodded and smiled at her.

With a flick of his wand Harry reduced the Firebolt to the size of a domino and slipped it into his pants pocket.

Ginny pulled off her cloak and reduced it as well, slipping it into her back pocket. She watched as Harry did the same.

"All right," he said, "Let's go." Ginny skipped forward into the lamplight and twirled around. She felt exhilarated and Harry's laugh made her laugh as well. He looked so cute in the dim, orangish light, she thought, feeling like a lovesick schoolgirl.

There was, in fact, a little diner open at the end of that street. Ginny laughed and dropped into a little curtsey as Harry held the door open for her and gave a flourishing bow. The pair collapsed opposite eachother in a booth and a waitress wearing four inch heels clicked up to their table, rubbing her eyes from sheer boredom.

Harry immediately ordered a hamburger and Ginny, grinning, told the waitress to make it two. They sipped sodas through straws straight from the can and talked. Ginny couldn't remember a time when she had ever laughed more.

They hardly noticed when the waitress brought forth their oil-dripping burgers. Harry, always the gentleman, thanked her absentmindedly before turning back to Ginny and their conversation.

o.o

Stomach hurting and throat rather sore from laughing so hard, Ginny took her spoon and plunged it into the slice of cheesecake that had just arrived as dessert. The two chewed the savory pastry in silence for a moment. Ginny looked thoughtful for a second and then spoke.

"Is this a date?" she said, taking another spoonful of cheesecake and studying the face of the person opposite her. Harry didn't seem the least bit fazed by her abrupt and very straightforward question.

He shrugged. "Do you think so?" he said, looking up at her from under his eyelashes.

Ginny hesitated, but only for a moment. "I think so."

"Good," said Harry. Ginny let a smile cross her face.

"But back to what you were saying," she said hastily.

Harry grinned and they continued their conversation. And their laughing, as though nothing had changed, because nothing really had. With the title date or not, Ginny thought to herself, it was Harry and her. Harry and Ginny, together.

o.o

It was late when the two arrived back at the Burrow. In fact, it was very late, almost 2am. Harry and Ginny walked through the door, laughing hysterically. Ginny collapsed against the wall, doubled up with laughter.

"Where have you two been!" Ginny's laughter disappeared in a flash as she saw Mrs. Weasley standing, arms crossed, in her nightgown at the bottom of the stairs. Ginny glanced nervously at Harry, who, she saw, was clenching his teeth together to keep the laughter down.

"We have been worried sick!" Mrs. Weasley continued. Ginny noticed Ron and Hermione sitting on the couch a few feet away. To be truthful, Ron didn't look especially worried. He had Harry's broomstick magazine open on his lap and was flipping the pages nonchalantly. Hermione was peering out from behind the armrest, eyebrows raised, but not looking particularly concerned either.

"We went out, Mum," Ginny explained hurriedly. Harry snorted beside her. She could almost hear his voice in her head. _Oh-so-specific, Ginny._ It was the truth, though, she shrugged.

"You went out!" Mrs. Weasley began, pink with rage. But then, quite suddenly, the anger drained from her face and her eyes brightened. Onto her face came an expression of understanding, as though some unfathomable realization had come upon her. "Oh, I see, you went out. Well, that's perfectly lovely, dears," she said, smiling. Ginny's eyes widened in shock. "Well, I'll just tuck off to bed, then. Good night, dearies." And with that, the plump, be-nightgowned woman, turned and disappeared back up the stairs.

"What was that about?" Ginny wondered aloud.

"It was good for us, though," added Harry. Ginny nodded fervently.

"You two _went out_?" asked Hermione from behind the couch, putting, Ginny thought, strange significance on the two last words.

Harry and Ginny glanced at eachother, confusion written all over their faces. "Erm…yeah…," said Harry slowly.

Hermione sighed in obvious relief. "So you're _finally_ going out, are you?" Ginny and Harry looked at eachother again in alarm. Neither was sure what you said to that kind of abrupt question.

"I…," said Ginny, glancing at Harry, "I guess so…."

Hermione turned around swiftly to face Ron. "Finally!" she said to the air. "Ron!" Ron looked up, rather confused, from his magazine. "Took them long enough, but they're _finally_ going out."

Ron took in this information for a moment, looking from Harry and Ginny, to Hermione. His brow creased in confusion as they spoke.

"Weren't they always?"

o.o

**I know…rather short…but good fluff, I hope. Still the everlasting question: What is a britpicker? Ideas for the fic? Review, please.**


	11. For Ginny, Love Harry

**Oh my gosh, guys, I'm so sorry! I've just reread my last two chapters from the Live Preview and realized how many mistakes (grammar, etc.) there are! From now on I'll definitely be reading through more thoroughly before I post. I know how much I hate grammar and spelling mistakes when I read. Anyway, here's the next chappie:**

**Chapter 11**

**For Ginny, Love Harry**

Ginny was awoken next morning by the lovely sounds of Hermione retching in the bathroom. Groggily, Ginny rubbed her eyes and sat up in the bed.

"Pregnancy sucks, huh?" Ginny mumbled through a yawn as Hermione entered, clearing her throat.

"Hmmm," said Hermione, collapsing back into her bed. There was silence for a few minutes. Ginny thought Hermione had fallen back to sleep when suddenly the girl turned and spoke. "Merry Christmas, though," she said, smiling in a sleepy-eyed sort of way.

"Oh, yeah," Ginny said, remembering. After all the excitement she hadn't even been keeping track of the days. "And a very merry one it is indeed," she added, laughing.

Hermione laughed as well. "What time is it?" the bushy-haired girl asked, sitting up and peering at the clock on the wall.

"9:36, to be exact," said Ginny, turning her head to the little ticker beside her bed.

"Why," said Hermione, raising her eyebrows, "do you have so many clocks?"

Ginny shrugged. "My Auntie Muriel likes to give us…clocks, on holidays," she said, realizing immediately how stupid _that_ sounded.

"Uh…huh," said Hermione slowly. "Well, 9:36…,"

"9:37 now," said Ginny quickly, grinning.

Hermione continued without breaking a stride. "9:37…how much do you wanna bet the boys are already downstairs opening gifts?"

"That's the only thing that'll get them out of bed…Christmas presents," said Ginny, rolling her eyes and slumping back comfortably onto her pillows. Yawning, she realized something.

"I still haven't put my gifts under the tree…." She wasn't exactly sure whether she should be particularly concerned about that.

Hermione shrugged. "Half the people you've got things for aren't here, anyway, right?"

"Yeah," Ginny said, "Where's my dad anyway? I haven't seen him around since day before yesterday."

"He's working, 'member?" said Hermione.

"Oh, yeah," said Ginny sheepishly. She'd been so caught up in everything that had been happening that she hadn't even noticed that her dad had left. "I'm gonna go down," she decided.

"I'll come too," Hermione agreed, flipping her covers back and standing up groggily.

"Hold on, lemme get the gifts," Ginny said, kneeling down by her suitcase.

Arms laden with colorfully wrapped and beribboned packages, Ginny started out the door and downstairs.

o.o

"Ah ha! There they are!" cried a beaming and very-awake looking Mrs. Weasley as Ginny and Hermione stepped onto the downstairs landing. Both girls shielded their eyes, squinting at the sudden flash of a camera.

Giggling girlishly, Mrs. Weasley removed the Polaroid and began flapping it around. "What's up with her?" mouthed Hermione to the boys. Ron and Harry, who had all their presents stacked neatly before them in piles according to size, shrugged.

Ginny didn't say anything, but she knew, without a doubt, what Mrs. Weasley was so jubilant about. Ron and Hermione were getting married, having a baby, and that old stickler of a grandmother had released her goblin-made ring at last, Harry and Ginny were "going out", _and_ to top it all off, it was Christmas! It was the very culmination of all Mrs. Weasley's dreams.

Ginny selected Mrs. Weasley's gift from the various packages in her arms and set it down in front of her mother. "Oh! Thank you!" Mrs. Weasley cried and immediately began taking pictures of it.

"Bill got that for her," Ron groaned, gesturing to the camera, "…sent it over…wasn't wrapped so she insisted on using it immediately. I think I'll have to kill Bill next time I see him." Hermione rolled her eyes.

"Here," Ginny said, tossing Ron's gift to him. She smiled and threw Harry's gift to him.

"Thanks," he said, catching it with expert ease.

"And this is for Hermione," Ginny said, reading the To/From label she had slapped onto the gift. Ginny piled the remainder of the gifts in her arms under the tree and sat back.

"All right, dears," came Mrs. Weasley's voice. The woman had finished taking photos of Ginny's gift and had turned to speak. "You girls decided to sleep in, but you've got to rest up as much as you can," she looked significantly at Hermione. Ginny rolled her eyes. "So we decided not to wake you, and I made the boys wait to open their gifts."

"So can we open them now?" Ron asked eagerly.

"Well, I suppose since everyone's ready, why not?" She smiled kindly.

There was an immediate ripping of paper. Ron and Harry had obviously had their fingers under the paper, ready to rip. Ginny and Hermione looked at each other and laughed.

Ginny grabbed the present that Ron shoved towards her. Tearing at the paper, Ginny revealed a cloak of the most amazing shimmery colors. "Ron!" Ginny exclaimed. "It's beautiful!" She stood, pulling the cloak around her and twirling about. The looks on the staring faces around her told her something was wrong. "What is it?" she asked slowly.

"Ron!" Hermione cried. "I thought the guy said he wouldn't make any more?"

Ron shrugged. "Harry helped me…get it out of him. No one can refuse Harry, you know," he said, looking down modestly.

"I didn't really help that much," Harry said, in the same tone.

"What?" Ginny said again, confused and not a little apprehensive.

"Look down, Ginny!" Hermione said, grinning.

Ginny looked down and almost screamed in shock. Her body was gone. Her eyes widened as it dawned on her that this…this was…, "An Invisibility Cloak?" she cried, laughing. She turned and gave her brother a kiss on the cheek. "It's gorgeous. Thank you, Ron!"

Ginny took the cloak off and folded it lovingly, placing it away carefully.

"Thanks, Ginny…," Ron said, a little uncertainly, gesturing to the big stuffed teddy before him.

"Anti-spider charm," Ginny replied simply. Ron started laughing.

"Keep it beside me all the time," he said, hugging it firmly under one arm.

Ginny took Hermione's gift. "It's not exactly an Invisibility Cloak, but it might be useful," she said by explanation as Ginny took the package.

Ginny unwrapped the gift to find a small, longish box. She opened it…a quill.

"I made it myself," Hermione said as Ginny lifted it carefully out of the box. "The ink is self-replenishing so it'll work for...well forever, really," she said, grinning. "And it's self-correcting, meaning…," Hermione placed it vertically on a piece of wrapping paper. It stayed there, defying gravity, not falling.

"You just put it on a paper," Hermione continued, "and it will correct your papers for you."

Ginny was amazed. "Are you serious!" she exclaimed, giving Hermione a great hug.

She turned to Harry. "Harry!" she called. He turned. "I can assign as many papers as I like and I don't have to actually correct a single one!" she said, sticking her tongue out at him.

"I've got one too!" he said, holding another slim box up for her to see, and sticking his tongue out right back at her.

Ginny turned back to Hermione. "You are an amazing witch, you know that? Thank you a million! You have no idea how much time this will save!" She kissed her friend on the cheek.

Hermione grinned and pulled from Ginny's gift box a book. "Hogwarts, A History," she said, running her hand over the cover fondly.

"I know you already have one, but open it up," Ginny said.

Hermione smiled and opened it. Within, magically attached to the inside front cover, was a library's catalog card. "Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry," Hermione breathed, scanning the list of names beneath. It was a list of students that had taken the book out of the school library before and two from the bottom, in her own neat scrawl: _Hermione Granger_.

"This is the copy I took out in First Year!" the girl gasped. Ginny just smiled. "And…," Hermione flipped through the pages knowingly, like an old friend, "…here!"

Ginny peered over her friend's shoulder at a page with a small earmark in the corner. "Nicholas Flamel's page," Hermione said solemnly. "It was _this_ book, this very book that I found Nicholas Flamel in! Ron, Harry, have a look at this!" Hermione called.

When they had all finished marveling over this long lost benefactor, Hermione turned to Ginny.

"How in the world did you get a hold of it?"

"I found it in the library and McGonagall let me take it," Ginny said, shrugging like it had been no big deal.

"You are amazing!" Hermione exclaimed and engulfed Ginny in a huge hug.

"You're welcome," Ginny said, laughing.

Leaning against the couch again, Harry was opening Ginny's gift. Inside was a brush.

"For your hair," Ginny said simply. Hermione and Ron laughed and turned back to their own gifts. Harry looked at Ginny quizzically. "Note," she mouthed.

Harry looked down at the strewn wrapping paper in his lap and extracted the note Ginny had packed with the gift. It _was_ a brush, to all effects, but it was more than that.

Ginny had the corresponding brush at the top of her suitcase. At a word, the brush tips could recede back to form a flat surface, clear, a mirror of sorts. Through this mirror they could talk, whenever they wanted, wherever they were. When she had been making it, Ginny had thought of the mirror Sirius had given Harry.

She watched Harry's expression as she knew he would read and realize the similarities, as well. But his face did not darken in anger or even sadness as she had feared and maybe even expected. He read through the explaining letter with a little smile growing on his lips.

Ginny realized, then, that Harry really had changed, and for the better. Doing everything that Dumbledore, Sirius, even what his mother and father would have wanted; Harry had allowed his grief and anger to rest. He had done all he could to fulfill the dreams they had had in _their_ lives, now it was time to live his own.

Harry had grown up, in a way, and Ginny loved him for it.

"Thanks, Ginny," Harry said enthusiastically, leaning over the wreckage of wrapping paper and giving her a quick kiss. She smiled.

"I've got your gift here somewhere," Harry said, searching through the wrapping paper surrounding his legs. "Here it is," he said finally, producing a long package and placing it before her.

Ginny thought, right then, that she knew what it was, but she hardly dared hope. She ripped at the paper and carefully lifted the top of the box with Harry, all the time, searching her face with a grin for her reaction.

Ginny's face colored pink as she lifted a broom from the box.

"It's beautiful," she breathed, and it was. But it was like no other broom she had ever seen. It was slim and light; peachy colored wood gleamed and shone with polish. Even Ron was staring at it in wonder, mouth agape.

"Is it a Firebolt?" he asked.

"No," Harry said, still watching Ginny's wondrous face. "It's custom made…by the makers of the Firebolt. I found them and they said they would be happy to make it…honored, in fact. And I know Ginny needed a new one since her Cleansweep broke so…."

Ginny couldn't speak. She lifted the broom up, looking at it from every angle. Then, on the tip of the handle, she saw something that made her heart stop.

Where, on her old broken broom in the shed it said Cleansweep, where it might have said Nimbus, where Harry's said Firebolt, this broom, this new broom, said, in slanted, neat writing:

_For Ginny, Love Harry_

o.o

**Sigh…fluffy, even by my standards. I've been experiencing HUGE Writer's Block, but I promise: next chappie ASAP. Thanks to the peeps that informed me as to the definition of britpicker. Review and ta ta!**


	12. The Rest of Your Natural Life

**Okay, don't attack me or anything. I know this chapter took FOREVER, but school has been hectic, to say the least. Forgive and forget, eh?**

**Chapter 12**

**The Rest of Your Natural Life**

It took a moment for Ginny to get her breath back. This broom had transformed, in a matter of seconds, into the most romantically beautiful thing she had ever seen.

Simply because of four words and a comma…now _that_ was magical.

"Harry," she said slowly. She looked up through misted eyes. She didn't quite know why they were misted. She was sure it had to do with being…emotional. She had always been a tad emotional when it came to Harry. Ever since King's Cross.

"Thank you," she said softly, smiling. She found herself at his side; she suspected that she had half-walked over all the wrapping. And quite frankly she didn't care that Hermione was watching, that Ron was watching, that her own mum was watching: she kissed him.

"Whoa!" Ron said hurriedly, but Ginny didn't break away. "Public Displays of Affection, people! Too much of it!"

"Oh, shut up, Ron," Ginny heard Hermione say. Ginny laughed a little into the kiss and Harry laughed too. Pulling away from him she leaned over and whispered softly into his ear. "Mirrors, tonight." She saw his eyes flick briefly toward hers, sparkling with that little mischievous smile of his, and she moved away.

"Well…," said a flustered Mrs. Weasley, shuffling forward through the sea of wrappings.

"Yes, Mum? Here, let me get that," said Ginny casually, pulling a pile of colored tissue paper from her mother's path. Balancing it all easily in one arm she pulled out her wand and magicked it all away.

"Yes," agreed Harry, quickly scooping up some paper. "So what are we up to for the rest of the day?" he asked easily.

"Er," said Ron, standing up awkwardly. "We were thinking that…well what were we planning, Mum?" he asked, floundering.

Mrs. Weasley cleared her throat and smiled brightly. "I have a few wedding catalogs for you all to go through," she said. "And after that…? Goodness only knows," she finished, shrugging in a most uncharacteristic gesture and bobbing back up, grinning. "Let me go grab those catalogs," she said, and scurried away.

"Well that sounds like a very well thought out plan," said Ginny, rolling her eyes at her brother. Ron shrugged, looking slightly sheepish at his lack of knowledge.

"What I want to know," he said after a long pause, "is why Harry and I need to be here for this whole wedding catalog thing." His face colored as Hermione turned to face him and he was suddenly immensly engrossed in picking lint off the teddy bear in front of him.

Hermione opened her mouth to speak, but Ginny beat her to it. "Let me handle this," she said, turning to her brother. "Because, Ron," she began, lips pursed, "this is your wedding! You are going to be with Hermione, loving and living with her, for the _rest of your natural life_."

"Whoa, whoa, whoa," said Harry as Ron paled significantly. "Let me clue you in, Ginny," he said, steepling his hands beneath his chin and shaking his head in mock disappointment.

Ginny almost laughed, but she didn't, she kept her face in a carefully passive expression. "And what would that be, Harry?"

"You never, I repeat, _never_ tell a man that he…," he began, but Ginny cut him off.

"Well that rules out you and Ron then," she said smoothly, smirking.

"Ouch!" Ron said, laughing. Hermione snorted.

Harry's face was a serious as ever, but Ginny could see his lips curved up at the edges. He was holding back a burst of laughter, just like she was.

"You _never_," he continued after a moment, "tell him that he's stuck with _anything_ for the rest of his natural life. Never! In fact, never ever say the words "rest of your natural life" – ever again!"

Ginny couldn't help it. She laughed. "Rest of your natural life!" she cried, laughing even harder, "Rest of your natural life! Rest of your natural…,"

"Nooooo!" cried Harry, throwing a piece of tissue at her. Ginny laughed even harder and picked up several sheets, crumpling them expertly into a ball and chucking it at the boy opposite her. Harry, trained Quidditch player as he was, ducked. Ginny's flying missile hit Hermione squarely in the forehead.

"Hey!" she yelled, picking the ball up and throwing it back at Ginny, who was, by now, laughing hysterically.

"And that," Hermione said, throwing another tissue ball at Ron, "is for saying you don't want to look through wedding catalogs!"

"What?" said Ron, caught by surprise, as the tissue bounced harmlessly off his nose. "When did I say I didn't _want_ to look through catalogs? I only asked why Harry and I were needed. I mean, we could be doing something more productive…for the wedding," he added quickly.

Hermione eyed him suspiciously. "All right, then, you and Harry can think about a date for the wedding…."

"Well then how about…tomorrow! March 3rd! December 4th! August 15th!" Ron cried, laughing.

Hermione threw another ball of tissue at him. "I don't mean just any date! You've got to think these things through! Honestly, Ron, December 4th? It'll be freezing! And all suitable indoor locations will have been booked long before now for next years holidays!"

Ron paled. He turned to Harry. "Not such an easy job after all, eh?"

Harry nodded vigorously, eyes wide.

"Meanwhile," cut in Ginny smoothly, "Hermione and I will be browsing marital catalogs. Shall we?" She stood and proffered a hand to Hermione.

"What's happened here?" Mrs. Weasley cried, walking in and dropping all the catalogs at her feet at the sight of the be-tissued room. "I don't recall asking you lot to wrap my living room!"

"So sorry, Mum," Ginny said casually, scooping a pile of magazines from the floor. "Ron and Harry'll be happy to clean the place up."

Smiling mischeviously, she caught sight of the boys' shocked faces before waltzing into the kitchen, Hermione in tow.

o.o

Ginny rubbed her eyes. They had been looking over catalogs for nearly four hours now. It wasn't that Ginny couldn't handle long periods of concentration, but Hermione was still as ecstatic as ever and showed absolutely no signs of tiring.

"What about this?" asked Hermione, pointing at what seemed to be a mile-high cake.

Ginny leaned forward, scrutinizing the page. "Erm…," she said uncertainly.

"Guess you're right," said Hermione, flipping the page. "Definitely too much whipped cream."

It was at that moment that the boys walked in.

"We've got it!" Ron grinned, dropping into a chair next to Hermione. "April 22nd."

"That's right," Harry said, sitting next to Ginny. "April 22nd, we decided."

Hermione looked up from the catalog. She considered. Ron seemed to be holding his breath for the reaction. Ginny almost laughed.

"April…April…," Hermione said softly. "4 months from now, not too soon, not too late. 22nd is the end of April so it'll be warmer, but not too humid or warm or anything. Spring…there'll be plenty of flowers. Well," she said finally.

Much to her disgust, Ginny found that she, too, was holding her breath for the verdict.

"Well, you guys are brilliant."

"Yes! I told you the 22nd was better than the 21st!" Ron said, getting up and doing a little jig.

Harry nodded, mockingly shamefaced. "Honestly, Harry!" Ginny laughed, "The 21st! What could you have been thinking?"

"Well," said Harry, laughing and giving Ginny a playful push, "I just don't know what came over me."

"So the 22nd of April it is!" Hermione grinned, magicking a calendar from the air and marking the date in her neat cursive. "But back to the Bridesmaids' dresses, we never figured that one out, Gin."

"Okay," said Ginny, turning reluctantly (though she didn't show it) back to the catalog.

"I was thinking gold," Hermione said. Harry snorted loudly. Ginny pushed him. He fell out of his chair, laughing uncontrollably.

"What? What's wrong with gold?" Hermione asked, looking up, confused.

"Well…it's just too…fact is, it's too Fleur-esque," Ginny said flatly.

Hermione shivered. "Not gold then," she said. "What about blue?"

"Much better," Ginny nodded.

Ginny sat back in her chair. In the smallest, least noticeable movement possible she rubbed at her aching neck. This was Hermione and Ron's _wedding_ after all. She shouldn't be complaining about a mere 4 hours catalog-perusing. But, of course, Harry noticed. Being Harry, and all.

"Sorry, Hermione, but I think I'm going to have to steal your maid-of-honor for an hour or two. She's got to try out that new broom of hers. You know, the one that guy got her for Christmas."

"Oh, that one?" Ginny said, grinning, "I don't even particularly like that guy."

"And I'm sure he doesn't particularly like you either," Harry said. "In fact, there's absolutely no _way_ that guy would save you from any sort of uncomfortable situation."

"Absolutely none," Ginny agreed.

"So, Hermione, do you think I could take this prickly young woman off your hands for a while to try out that broom that she got from that guy that she doesn't particularly like who doesn't particularly like her either who wouldn't ever help her out of any sort of uncomfortable situation?"

"What?" Hermione said. Ron laughed.

"God, do we have to spell things out for you people?" Ginny asked, rolling her eyes.

"Can I take Ginny flying?"

"Oh!" Hermione said. She nodded. "You can take her. For however long you want. In fact, you can have her for the rest of your natural life."

**Okay. Know it's short, but I just wanna get this up to prove to you all that I'm not abandoning it. So please review. Yeah. That's all. Bubbye!**


	13. On the Same Page

**Okay. I know it's been 3-ish months since I last updated. I know – it's a horrible crime to abandon something for 3 whole months! But I'm back now so please read on! Sorry for the SUPER long delay –**

**Chapter 13**

**On the Same Page**

So it was that Harry and Ginny went flying again, this time on Ginny's new broom. They didn't come back until dinner time and Ginny's face was flushed from having the wind in her face for so long. As they landed, Harry leaned forward (Ginny was, of course, steering) and spoke into Ginny's ear.

"Hopefully we've missed the rest of the planning." Ginny laughed.

"Somehow I doubt it. Hermione will probably have put pause to everything until we get back."

"Hmm…you're probably right."

"You know I am," Ginny laughed again.

"Like you always are."

"You better believe it, Harry Potter."

"Don't worry, I do."

"I needed a break though…definitely needed one. So thanks."

"Hey, no problem. My work there was done."

"We'll have to get McGonagall to excuse us for the wedding."

"And the…erm…birth," Harry added.

"True. You don't think she'll just have done and fire us for asking for leave so often, do you?"

"I think she'll find it in her heart to forgive us somehow."

Their feet touched ground as they landed steadily in the Weasley's backyard. Ron and Hermione had positioned a bench by the back door.

"You know," muttered Ron darkly as they got off the broom, "I ought to forbid you two for going out so often and coming back so late."

"Ron," Ginny rolled her eyes, "it's barely seven o'clock."

"Yes, and I ought to enforce a curfew on you."

"Ron, I'm eighteen."

Hermione broke in. "So technically, Ron, she _is_ a legal adult."

"By whose count?"

"Um…," Hermione didn't seem quite sure how to answer this. "The law?"

"Oh," said Ron. "Alright then. I'll let it go this time. One, because I'm a kind, benevolent brother. Two, because Harry's responsible. If this were, say, Dean, I'd have to be more stern. Three, Mum's got dinner ready and more of my lecturing would only be keeping us all from her famous mashed potatoes."

With that he turned and went inside. Hermione followed, a half-amused, half-apologetic look on her face.

Alone in the yard, Harry and Ginny looked at eachother. And burst out laughing.

"Ah, Ron. He'll never change," Ginny muttered between giggles.

o.o

The mashed potatoes were, of course, delicious. They _were_ Mrs. Weasley's _famous_ mashed potatoes, after all. They all sat around the table, munching, chewing, and swallowing in various degrees of fullness.

Hermione was speaking. "…Of course, Gin, I left making any decisions until you came back from flying, so you haven't missed anything…."

Ginny glanced at Harry, who made an acknowledging "you-were-right" face. Ginny smiled.

o.o

It was Harry and Ginny's last night at the Burrow before heading off for Hogwarts once more. To be frank, Ginny wasn't exactly eager to leave. She was loathe to leave Hermione in her "delicate" state, and wasn't looking forward to seeing Dean again either. She was afraid of what he might say.

Ginny was busy throwing everything into her suitcase. Hermione sat on her bed, wincing as each new item entered the trunk. Ginny ticked through her items in her mind. She was sure she had gotten all her clothes. Her wand was safely tucked into the front pocket. Her robes were at the top of her suitcase…anything else? Oh yes, the broom. She would have to carry that – she could think of no other way to do it. Her suitcase wasn't long enough to fit it and she probably wouldn't have wanted to shove it inside anyway in case it broke. Hermione winced again as Ginny found a stray sock under her bed.

"What?" Ginny asked, turning to Hermione. "You look like you're in pain."

Hermione swallowed. "Oh, no…nothing."

Ginny thought she knew. "Harry and I will be back in April for the wedding and then back in May again for the baby. It's less than 4 months!"

"Oh, no, I know. It's not that." Hermione suddenly seemed on the verge of laughter.

Ginny tilted her head in confusion. "What is it then?"

Hermione hesitated. "It's just…your suitcase. It's so…messy."

"Are you serious, Hermione? You are the most neat-freakish person I have ever met!" Ginny laughed.

"How can you just throw things inside? Doesn't it bug you?" Hermione continued.

"No, not exactly," Ginny said with mock seriousness, "seeing as the moment I get to Hogwarts I'll be taking it all out again."

"Ah! I can't stand to watch!" Hermione screeched, giggling and hiding herself under her blankets.

Ginny rolled her eyes and threw a pillow at Hermione's huddled form. "You are going to have a fun time living with Ron."

"I know," Hermione said, surfacing from beneath the covers.

"But don't worry," Ginny added, "I'm sure he'll be as neat as a button after a month living with you."

Hermione giggled in a rather un-Hermione-ish way.

"And what about you and Harry?" Hermione said suddenly.

Ginny was caught rather off guard. "What do you mean?"

"Oh, I don't know. I have a feeling about you two."

"What kind of feeling?" Ginny said, suddenly more curious than she would like to have admitted.

"Oh, nothing. Just a feeling, that's all."

Ginny carefully observed the contents of her trunk, then closed it decidedly and clicked the latch.

"Hermione…," she said in what she hoped was a nonchalant one, "I've never known you to be mysterious. New development, eh?"

"Maybe," breathed Hermione, turning over and yawning. "I'm going to bed. Good night, Gin."

"Night," Ginny said, and flicked off the lights, crawling beneath her own covers.

o.o

Ginny lay on her back, staring at the ceiling for what seemed to be a long while, mulling over Hermione's words. A feeling? What did that mean – a _feeling_? As in…a good feeling or a bad feeling? It was too bad she hadn't managed to get more out of Hermione. Where had this mysteriousness come from anyway?

Then a terrifying thought struck her. What if everyone else was seeing something she couldn't? About her and Harry. Even worse – what if Harry saw it too? What if she was the only one who couldn't come to terms with the truth?

Just as these thoughts crossed her mind, she heard a slight vibration coming from beneath her pillow. She slid her hand underneath and her fingers closed around a brush. It took her a moment to realize that it was the one corresponding to the brush she had given Harry earlier this morning for Christmas.

Then it all came flooding back. She _had_, after all, told Harry that they ought to use the mirrors tonight. She shook herself into awareness and drew the brush from beneath the pillow. She whispered a spell and, in a moment, the bristles of the brush had drawn back to reveal a mirror.

A shape swam inside it for a moment, as though reflected in water. Finally, Harry's face came into focus.

"Speak of the devil," Ginny whispered, a smile on her lips.

"Damn it," whispered Harry, "wrong number."

"Oh, shut up, Harry," Ginny laughed, pulling the covers over her head. Instantly the mirror was illuminated, as if Harry was lit from behind.

"These things are pretty cool," Harry said.

Ginny smiled.

"And they work as actual brushes, too. I tried it."

Ginny laughed again. "You are such a dork, Harry."

"Aren't I?"

They paused for a moment.

"So what's up with you?" Harry said.

"Not too much. Just talking to Hermione, but then she went to sleep."

"What about?"

"Oh nothing, she was just trying to convince me we're perfect for eachother." It wasn't exactly a lie, either, Ginny insisted to herself. She was sure that was what Hermione had meant.

Harry laughed. "Everyone seems to be trying to convince me of that, too."

Ginny laughed, but, inexplicably, her heart seemed a little lighter.

"Well I, for one," she said, smiling, "am not bowing down to pressure. I won't be convinced."

"Neither will I," Harry agreed, shaking his head decidedly.

"Good, then we're on the same page."

"We're always on the same page, Gin."

Ginny turned over on her back, holding the mirror above her. "You know, I think I should tap out. Floo travel is gonna take it out of me tomorrow."

"Alright. Nice chatting. Potter out!" Harry said.

Ginny laughed. "Night, Harry."

"Night, Gin." Ginny watched as Harry fiddled with the mirror and spoke a short spell, and then her own mirror went black. The little bristles began to grow back over the oval glass and Ginny gently tucked it beneath her pillow.

She fell asleep thinking, as always, of Harry.

**o.o**

**Alright. That's it for this chappy. I'm trying to think of what should happen next. Any ideas? Let me know by REVIEWING! Tata.**


	14. The MOUSE

**I know it's really random for me to be updating this 6-ish months since the last time. Truth is, I fully intended to abandon it because school got so hectic. I couldn't, though, because I still have plenty of ideas for it. I know exactly how this thing's gonna end, and I couldn't just give it up! So please please please forgive me and keep reading! I really am SORRY and I promise to update at least once a week from now on! And if I don't…I'll… eat a MOUSE! Enjoy!**

**Chapter 14**

**The M.O.U.S.E.**

Ginny woke early the next morning. The first rays of sunlight were still filtering into the room. In the other bed, Hermione rolled over, still asleep. Ginny stretched her arms over her head, feeling like a contented cat. At least, that's how she described it to herself – not that she knew what a contented cat felt like. She swung her legs over the edge of the bed, pulling herself into a sitting position. She and Harry were returning to Hogwarts today. Ginny couldn't help dreading a reunion with Dean. Plus, it was bound to get out quickly that she and Harry were officially a couple, wasn't it? She remembered her fifth year. Within minutes of that first kiss in the Gryffindor Common Room, the news that Harry Potter and Ginny Weasley were dating had been common knowledge. But, she rationalized, they were teachers now. It probably wouldn't even be a big deal, she thought. Her cynical side guffawed – yeah, right.

She pulled herself out of bed. She glanced at one of the many clocks. 7:47. Their Floo passes this time were for 8:20. Ginny opened her suitcase. Careful to keep quiet lest she wake the sleeping Hermione, Ginny dressed. Then she remembered the mirror. She retrieved it from under her pillow, remembering her talk with Harry the night before. Behind her, Hermione woke.

"Morning, Gin." Ginny wheeled round.

"You scared me!"

"Oh, great. That statement does wonders for my self-esteem." Hermione replied sarcastically, stretching and sitting.

"No, no. I don't mean it that way. I didn't know you were awake is all." Hermione nodded and yawned.

"What you got there?"

"Nothing." Hermione raised her eyebrows.

"Ginny," she said slowly, as though speaking to a five year old, "I can see that you've got something there. Pregnancy doesn't cause blindness."  
Ginny smiled. "It's a brush is all." She made a decision. "Actually, it's a bit more than a brush," she continued. "It's one of those two-way mirror things. You know, like the kind Sirius gave Harry a couple years back." Hermione smiled knowingly.

"I knew you wouldn't give Harry a plain old brush for Christmas."

"Actually, now that I think about it…you and Ron should keep this one here. That way, Harry and I will have one at Hogwarts and we'll be able to talk to you guys." Ginny held out the brush. "You better guard that with your life. It took me hours to charm it."

"Sure, Gin. Will do," Hermione laughed.

Ginny's eyes wandered about the room, double checking that she hadn't forgotten to pack anything.

"When's your Floo?" Hermione asked.

"Between 8:20 and 8:35. Best to be early, though. You know how they double book the network."

"Mhmm," said Hermione.

"Well, it's 8 now. Breakfast?"

"Sure, let's go."

Ginny waited while Hermione brushed her cloud of curls back into a presentable pony tail and straightened her clothes. Then the two girls headed downstairs. The kitchen was empty. On the table was a note: _Morning, all. I've gone to Diagon to run a few errands. I'll bring back some donuts from the bakery. Be back around 8. Love, Mum_.

"No need to cook, then, she'll be back any minute," said Hermione, sinking into a kitchen chair. Ginny sat down across from her.

"Do you think we need to wake the boys?" Hermione asked. "If they haven't set an alarm or something, they shan't get up 'til ten at the earliest."

"That late?" Ginny exclaimed.

"Yes, that late. You have no idea the trouble I went to waking them up during the mission."

At that moment, the girls heard footsteps trekking down the stairs. Two pairs of footsteps.

"Speak of the devil," said Ginny. The boys' steps came closer. They were speaking in low, confidential sounding voices. Ginny could make out Harry's voice.

"...do I tell Ginny?"

"No, just leave it. McGonagall will tell her," Ron replied.

"So I don't say anything?"

"No, just pretend you don't know anything. You don't want to sound like you had prior knowledge – like you're in regular contact."

"I suppose you're right. Why would she send me a letter, though?"

"Harry, Harry, Harry," Ron said, like he was talking to very small child, "She sent you a letter because she's always had a thing for yo…."

Just then, the boys rounded to corner and saw the two girls, sitting silently at the table. Their eyes widened in shock. Ron cleared his throat. "Morning, you two," he stammered. "Been here long?"

"A few minutes. Why?" said Ginny sweetly, "Got something you want to tell me, Harry?"

"No," said Ron quickly, "He hasn't. What's for breakfast?"

"Your mum's gone out to get donuts," said Hermione.

Ginny eyed Harry suspiciously. He looked uncertain for a moment, blinked, and sat down. "Yum, donuts," he said. Ginny rolled her eyes. They had said McGonagall would tell her, after all. She'd find out soon, so what was the point of arguing?

The four of them had a few minutes conversation before Mrs. Weasley arrived from the grate. In her hand was a bag, sealed tightly shut against the ash. "Donuts are here!" she said happily as she entered the kitchen. Ron immediately pounced on the bag and upended it, revealing ten wonderfully glazed donuts. "I got a few extra," Mrs. Weasley ceded, "just in case anyone gets hungry later." She eyed Hermione meaningfully.

**o.o**

At 8:20 they all got up, wiping donut glaze from their mouths. Ginny went upstairs, surveyed the room one last time, and wheeled her suitcase downstairs. She met Harry at the grate. "Ready to go?" he said.

"Of course. You first."

"I thought it was ladies first."

"Not this time. Hurry up," she said testily.

"Alright, alright," Harry grinned. "I'm going." He paused. "You've got a scary death glare," he added thoughtfully.

"Family trait," she grinned.

"Thought I'd seen it somewhere before," Harry laughed.

"And you'll see it again if you don't hop into that fireplace right now," Ginny returned.

"Alright," said Harry, turning to Mrs. Weasley, Ron, and Hermione, who were all gathered around.

"Thanks. See you all in April." With a goodbye grin and wave he threw the powder to the ground and yelled the destination. In a flash of green he was gone.

"Okay. See you all soon," Ginny said, giving them all a quick hug. "Take care of that stomach, Hermione."

"Oh, almost forgot!" Hermione said quickly, "You and Harry think of some names. We," she gestured to Ron, "haven't got a baby name yet, and four heads is better than two."

"Sure thing, Hermione," Ginny grinned. "Alright, bye!" She was engulfed by green fire and then she was shooting through the maze of fireplaces.

"Oof!" she exclaimed as her butt hit hard Hogwarts floor painfully. "My tailbone!" She heard Harry laughing through the smoke.

"Hello again, Ms. Weasley. Always making a graceful entrance, I see." McGonagall's voice this time.

Ginny cleared her throat and stood up, sweeping soot off her clothes. "Hi, Professor," she said sheepishly. McGonagall smiled kindly.

"Had a lovely Christmas I hope, you two," she said.

"Definitely. You?" said Harry.

"Quite acceptable," was McGonagall's reply. "How are you brother and Ms. Granger, Ms. Weasley?"

"They're doing really well, Professor. Getting married and having a baby actually."

McGonagall didn't look very surprised. "It was bound to happen. If Albus, excuse me, Professor Dumbledore was here I'd have won the bet."

"Bet, Professor?" Harry asked.

"Yes. Professor Dumbledore and I had a few running bets – most of them on students. I bet that Mr. Weasley and Ms. Granger would get married before they turned twenty. Dumbledore thought they might wait a few months after that. Obviously I was correct." She glanced, eyes sparkling, at Dumbledore's painting. He stuck his tongue out at her. "Still one bet to be resolved, though," she said, smiling slyly at the pair before her. Harry raised his eyebrows.

"Care to tell us what it is, Professor?"

"No."

"What do you mean?"

"I shan't interfere," replied McGonagall vaguely.

Ginny grinned and glanced at Harry. "Being mysterious, Professor? That's rather unlike you."

"Yes, I suppose it is," McGonagall said thoughtfully. "In any case, welcome back."

"Thanks," Ginny replied.

As Harry and Ginny reached the door leading to the staircase, McGonagall called out in her usual, stern voice. "And there's a Staff Meeting at 7, you two. Be on time for once, would you?" She pursed her lips pointedly at Harry.

"Of course, Professor," Ginny called back. On the stairs she turned to Harry. "Staff Meeting?"

"Oh, right," said Harry, rolling his eyes in mock irritation. "A Staff Meeting is this sort of gathering where all the adults at school talk about grown-up things."

"Oh, stuff it, Harry," Ginny laughed, pushing him playfully as they exited the staircase. They walked down the hall for a few moments. "I hope it's important. This place is rather boring without Voldy around," she said playfully.

Harry laughed. She glanced at him. He was looking back at her uncertainly, rather the same expression he had had back at the Burrow, when he had realized Ginny and Hermione were in the kitchen. He looked away quickly, a tad bit guiltily, as though she might ascertain something from his eyes.

"Hmm," he said. Ginny could tell he was trying hard to sound disinterested. "Well, I assume Staff Meetings are regular things." Ginny's brow furrowed.

"So I shouldn't be expecting anything important to happen?"

Harry shrugged. Ginny let it go. She would find out soon enough, anyway.

"Well anyway," she said, "Back to your earlier comment. I am aware of the definition of Staff Meeting."

"You are!?" Harry's eyes widened in mock shock.

"You, on the other hand, are banned. You've stated yourself: it's a grown-up meeting. I shall be forced to tuck you in early," she said, smiling slyly.

"Tuck me in? Is Ginny Weasley being provocative? I'll have to inform your brother," he laughed.

"Harry James Potter! How can you think such a thing?" she said, laughing and pushing him again. And somehow, when she pushed him, he grabbed her around the waist and pulled her toward him. He spun her around as he kissed her. She laughed so hard, and kissed him back. As she spun around, feeling more than ever like she was floating, she saw a dark shape.

"Dean!" she exclaimed, her stomach sinking. It wasn't a guilty sort of sinking, more apprehensive. Harry set her down, trying very hard to stifle his laughter. He was still grinning, though. Ginny bit her lip to keep her smile in the back of her throat. As her feet touched the ground, she saw Dean's face out of the corner of her eye. It was angry. But when she regained her balance and turned to face him, his face had become an indifferent sort of calm. It was almost frightening.

"So," he said slowly, his voice flat, "are you two dating, or have you just added benefits to your 'friendship'?"

"Dean!" Ginny said, shocked and rather insulted. It was less than she had expected, though. What had she been expecting? she thought. Perhaps a fistfight? Beside her, Harry shifted. She glanced at him. He did not look happy.

Dean turned directly to Ginny. "So you're not screwing your…what did you call him when _we _were dating – 'friend'?"

"Dean…," Harry said warningly. Dean ignored him. He glared at Ginny.

"He's using you for one thing, Ginny! When he's done with you there are girls _in line _to pick him up. Heroes have a hard time being faithful," he spat.

"Dean, what the hell is wrong with you?" Harry said, his voice low, but angry.

"Harry," Ginny said, "it's okay, I'll handle this."

"Dean, Harry and I are dating. You're angry – I get that. But Harry is not going to go 'pick up' other girls. In fact, I haven't seen any girls 'waiting in line'. And he doesn't have a hard time being faithful, so you don't have to fret about that," she snapped. She made to walk past him down the hall.

"We'll see about that, won't we?" Dean said, his voice that creepy indifferent calm again.

Ginny turned. "What is that supposed to mean?"

Dean didn't answer. He turned down another hall. "See you at the Staff Meeting," he called over his shoulder.

**o.o**

Back in her room, Ginny lay down flat on her bed. What could Dean have meant?

Probably just trying to make you upset, one part of her brain thought.

That's probably it. For once, the other part of her brain agreed.

But on the other hand, this whole thing coupled with what Harry and Ron were saying this morning…you've got to admit, very suspicious.

If he was cheating, Ron wouldn't have been such an accomplice.

I guess so. Anyway, shouldn't we be doing lesson plans?

Ginny worked on her lesson plans for the next month during the next few hours. She even skipped lunch, a real sacrifice by her standards. At about two, there was a knock on the door. She pulled herself off the bed. It was Harry. "Sorry," she said playfully, "no soliciting." Then, "Come on in, already!"

"What you up to? You didn't even come down to lunch. Luckily, neither did Dean…that could have been highly awkward and possibly violent," said Harry as he sat down on the floor, leaning against the wall.

"Lesson plans. Dean's angry, though, and I guess it's understandable."

"Rather rude, though, don't you think?"

"Yeah, rather rude," Ginny agreed. Harry's voice softened into seriousness.

"You know, all those things he said…they're not true. You know that, right?"

"Of course I know that. If I couldn't handle your being a hero, I wouldn't have gotten myself into this." Harry nodded. There was pause. Ginny searched Harry's face.

"Well," Harry said finally, "Your hardworking-ness is filling me with guilt. All I've been doing is eating and playing Gobstones with Hagrid. I'd better go work on my stuff."

"Sure," Ginny nodded.

"I'll come get you for dinner."

"'kay."

**o.o**

Around 6, Harry knocked again, and announced triumphantly that he had finished his lesson plans for the next week.

"I've finished two months worth," said Ginny, grinning.

"Well yippee for you," muttered Harry in mock disappointment. "You're too flippin' hard working. It's making me look bad."

"Well, I won't be from now on. Hermione's given us the means to cheat on grading," she thought of the pen that conveniently graded papers, "and I fully intend to."

Harry laughed.

The Great Hall was near-empty. Most of the students wouldn't arrive back at school until the next day. Harry and Ginny decided to sit at the empty Gryffindor table, just for old times' sake. After stuffing herself full of mashed potatoes, roasted chicken, and every imaginable sort of cake (hey, she'd missed lunch hadn't she?), she and Harry trooped off to the Staff Meeting.

Harry seemed to get rather nervous, and began wiping his hands on his pant legs and rubbing them together by turns. She was starting to get nervous too. Finally, the mystery would be solved, but did she want to know whatever she was about to find out? Harry certainly didn't look very happy about it.

McGonagall's office was filled with teachers. A large, oblong table had been conjured and sat in the middle of the room, which looked larger than normal. It was surrounded by chairs, wooden with small white cushions. Little name plates marked the chairs. Ginny sank into hers, finding that she was directly across the table from Harry and two people away from a silent, calm-looking Dean.

When all the teachers had settled, McGonagall spoke. "Thank you all for coming and for your punctuality. I have some very important news to convey." Ginny shifted nervously. McGonagall continued. "For the first time in fifteen years, Hogwarts will be undergoing a M.O.U.S.E." There was surprised tittering all around. Ginny glanced at Harry, who looked just as puzzled as herself.

"A M.O.U.S.E., Professor?" Harry said.

"Yes, Professor Potter, a M.O.U.S.E. Ministry Of Under Studies Evaluation. A ministry inspection, if you will." More tittering. "Now," said McGonagall, raising her voice to quiet the chattering, "there is usually an inspection every ten years, but, what with the return of the Dark Lord, the ministry had been fully occupied with other things."

"How does this inspection work?" Ginny asked.

"The Ministry of Under Studies, a department of the Ministry, sends a representative inspector, who stays with us for the remainder of the year, writing reports on every aspect of Hogwarts. We must treat this inspector with every courtesy, Ms. Weasley, because a bad report could remove a teacher, program, or the entire school." Was it just her imagination, or had McGonagall looked pointedly at her when she said the "every courtesy" bit?

There were a few gasps and several unhappy murmers.

"Who's the inspector, Professor?" It was Dean this time. Ginny had a feeling he already knew he answer to that question.

"I'm glad you bring that up, Mr. Thomas. Most fortunately for us, the Ministry has seen fit to send us an ex-student of ours. That should raise everyone's hopes a little higher for a positive evaluation." McGonagall turned towards a little door near the back of the room. "You may come out now, my dear."

The door opened and someone stepped out, beaming. "May I present our Ministry of Under Studies inspector, Ms. Cho Chang."

**o.o**

Ginny blinked, head spinning. Cho Chang? The girl standing before them was 20 now. She was petite and slim, wearing heels that made her legs look like they went on forever. Her robes were partially open – beneath them she was wearing a form-fitting black mini-dress, which showed skin in all the right places. Her hair was sleek and shiny, falling all the way to her waist. She had a straight nose and big, intense, dark eyes. Ginny realized, with a feeling she had never really felt before, that while she was considered cute, and while Hermione was considered pretty, Cho Chang would be considered _hot_. The way she held herself and looked around were seductive and innocent at the same time. Ginny found the girl instantly infuriating.

Looking around, though, she realized that nobody else did. Most of the males in the room were staring, a few mouths were even slightly ajar. Harry was staring. Ginny dearly wanted to kick him, but the table was too wide.

"All right, then," McGonagall was saying, "this meeting is adjourned. Teaching resumes the day after tomorrow, so may I suggest that you all conduct yourselves to your chambers and finish up lesson plans?"

"Harry Potter, is that you?" Cho had lighted her eyes on Harry and given a double-take that looked awfully rehearsed to Ginny's skeptical eye. She resisted the urge to roll her eyes. Of course it's him, you ninny, she thought. Big scar, tousled hair, green eyes…like you hadn't seen him before. Ginny bit her lip. She was being jealous, and she knew it. So what if Cho is here, she thought. You have nothing to worry about with Harry. He loves you. So stop acting like a three year old. Still, she was having a hard time moving from her chair.

Now Harry was answering and he and Cho were talking. Ginny looked away, determined not to feel the slightest bit of anger at Harry's vastly good-looking ex-girlfriend. Who was here. Talking to Harry. Most likely _flirting _with Harry. Stop it, Ginny! she thought angrily.

"It sucks, doesn't it? Watching your boyfriend flirting with his, if I may speak for _every_ male in the room, _extremely _attractive ex."

Ginny whirled around. It was Dean. When she spoke, her voice was cold. "No, Dean, it doesn't suck. Harry would never cheat on me with Cho."

Dean smiled wryly. "Oh, you're right," his voice was infuriatingly calm. "Harry's too much of a gentleman for that. He'll just leave you for her."

Ginny glared at him. "Screw you, Dean. You're being a huge jerk, do you know that?" She felt anger rising within her. "I'm with Harry, get over it!"

Dean didn't seem particularly concerned by her rant. His face remained impassive. "Not for long," he said confidently. Ginny shook her head, turning her face away.

There was a pause, and Ginny heard Dean turn to go. Then he looked over his shoulder for one more comment. His voice was icy. "Oh, and Ginny, about the whole Harry leaving you for his ex thing…I wish you the same luck I had."

**Phew. That's it. That was a pretty long one…hope you enjoyed it. Please forgive my taking so long to get this out and REVIEW! I promise to update again soon. No really, I PROMISE this time!**


	15. Comments About Tapestries

**A/N: Hello! I know I promised to eat a mouse if I didn't review in a week, which I obviously didn't. So be assured, I am looking for a mouse as we speak! But I've got another chapter for you, so hopefully that will bring you mild enjoyment while you wait for confirmation that I have, in fact, eaten a rodent.**

**Chapter 15**

**Comments About Tapestries**

Ginny managed to pull herself from McGonagall's office and retreat back to her chamber as soon as Dean had left. She knew that if she stayed, she would undoubtedly make a fool out of herself by playing the part of Harry Potter's jealous girlfriend. She would probably end up acting like Dean had when Harry had first shown up months back.

Her chamber felt wonderfully calm and isolated. Flinging her recently-completed lesson plans onto the floor, she collapsed on the bed, staring at (but not really seeing) the ceiling. There was a knock at the door. It's Harry, Ginny thought. She couldn't help but be glad that he had left Cho Chang to come and see her. She pulled herself off the bed and went to the door.

"Hey, Gin," he said, kissing her lightly as she opened the door.

"Hey!" Ginny said. She sighed an inward sigh of relief. Her jealous fears had obviously been unfounded. What had she been expecting anyway? That Harry wouldn't come see her because he was sleeping with Cho? Ginny felt like slapping herself. Harry was Harry. And Harry was certainly the most trustworthy, honorable person she knew.

"My room is a mess. I just threw those on the ground," she said, letting him in and gesturing to the lesson plans strewn over the floor.

"Throwing lesson plans on the _ground_!? Ginny Weasley! Hermione would be ashamed!"

"Oh, don't I know it," Ginny laughed. "You know she winced everytime I threw something in my suitcase back at the Burrow. She said it was too messy!"

"She's going to have a great time living with Ron," Harry replied.

"That's what I said!" Ginny laughed. "Crazy that Cho's here, isn't it?" she said, as nonchalantly as she could. She sank onto the bed.

"Yeah," Harry replied. "Actually," he added, "she wrote to me the other day."

Ginny laughed. "Is that what you were talking to Ron about then?"

Harry grinned. "Yeah, actually. You know, I was all for telling you. Ron said you'd get all jealous and stuff. I told him that wasn't you."

"That prat," Ginny laughed. "And I'm glad you think so highly of me."

"Of course I think highly of you," Harry said back, dropping onto the bed beside her. "You're my girlfriend, after all." Ginny smiled as Harry leaned in and kissed her lightly.

"So it's official then?" she said.

"Yes, I suppose."

Ginny laughed.

"What?" Harry asked uncertainly.

"Oh, it's just…. I actually had been a _bit_ jealous."

"Really!" Harry pulled back, eyes open wide in amazement.

"A tiny, itty-bitty, teensy-weensy _bit_."

Harry paused. "That's quite flattering actually."

Ginny grinned. "Now don't go getting a swollen head about it. I said a _bit_." She paused. "And you've got to admit, she is a bit intimidating."

"Cho?"

"Yes, Harry, who else? I mean, she's all…," Ginny broke off. "And you had that huge crush on her before."

"Well, I wouldn't call it _huge_," Harry said defensively.

"Oh yeah? Who was it asking her to the Yule Ball? And blubbering all over the place whenever she was around?"

Harry cleared his throat. "Well, that was me, I suppose."

"Yes, you. She's good at Quidditch, extremely good looking…," Ginny paused to let Harry deny her statements.

"Well…," said Harry slowly, "She _is _good at Quidditch…." He glanced at Ginny. "Ugly, though."

"Good answer."

"Phew…that was a close one," Harry muttered, pretending to wipe sweat from his brow.

"And you had your first kiss with her," Ginny added, as though as an afterthought.

"It was gross," Harry said promptly. "I wish it had been you…you're a much better kisser."

"Now _that_," Ginny smiled as Harry leaned in again, "was a _great_ answer."

**o.o**

Two days later, classes started. The students were still giddy with holiday adrenaline. Ginny knew from experience that it would soon wear off, but for the time being the students were much…bolder than usual.

Ginny had spent all morning preparing for the first day's classes. She had collected various mushrooms from the grounds for the Sixth Years to charm into singing, had feathers out for the First Years' review of levitation, and had various other plans for her other classes.

Her first class – Gryffindor and Hufflepuff First Years – went smoothly (everyone managed the levitation spell with at least some success) and Ginny was sitting back in her contentedly when the Sixth Years bustled in. She even propped her feet up on the desk as she waited for them to take their seats. It was Slytherins and Gryffindors. As the year had progressed, Ginny had noticed the violence of their house rivalry die down a little. Many of the most horrible Slytherins had left the school at Voldemort's downfall, so the House of Slytherin had lost much of its old bite.

In the general pre-class mayhem, Ginny was startled by a yell from one of the boys. He was a Slytherin, and was flushed with confidence.

"Professor," he said loudly, so the whole class could hear over the bustle, "I heard _you_ had a good holiday." As he spoke, he raised his eyebrows suggestively.

Ginny rolled her eyes. "What do you mean, Eddie? Get in your seat, by the way."

The class found their seats as Eddie answered. He was grinning; around him his friends were stifling outright laughter.

Eddie sank casually into his seat. He did a quick sweep of the room to be sure he had everyone's attention. "Well," he said, pausing for effect, "you spent your holidays with Professor Potter, for one thing." He smirked.

There was a collective gasp. One girl, a Gryffindor, threw her hand into the air like a speeding bullet.

Ginny nodded to her. "Yes, Violet?"

"You've cheated on Professor Thomas?" she said incredulously. Ginny realized that a very shocked expression must have come onto her face, because in a moment the girl said, in quite a different tone, "Don't worry, Professor, it's not like any of us are going to tell."

The students were throwing eachother varying degrees of shocked or I-told-you-so glances. Ginny cleared her throat. The room was absolutely silent.

"Well, I'd rather that rumour didn't spread. So if you must know, Professor Thomas and I split before the holiday."

It was silent for a moment, then the class broke into chatter. A voice rose above the other. Eddie again. "Well, Professor, you and Professor Thomas are _still_ fighting about the break-up, so it obviously wasn't an 'amicable split'. So, either you cheated on him with Potter, or…actually, that's the only reason _I _can think of."

Ginny glared at him. "Doesn't say much for your intelligence, Eddie, now does it?"

The rest of the class broke into laughter. "And no, I did not cheat on Professor Thomas with Professor Potter. Who told you Professor Thomas and I were fighting?" Ginny couldn't believe she was having this conversation with her students. Best to deal with the rumors right off the bat, though, she reasoned.

Eddie seemed to recover from being shot down rather quickly. "Well, I just had Transfig with him."

"_He_ told you we were fighting!?" Ginny practically choked on her own saliva. It was one thing for her to be answering up to all the rumours, but for Dean to go around telling people about the specific state of their relationship? No wonder all her students seemed so well informed!

"Well, he said you'd had a row before break, and this morning you didn't even acknowledge eachother at breakfast," said Eddie confidently.

A Gryffindor girl in the front row spoke. "Then why _did_ you break up? If you didn't…erm…do anything with Harry?"

"Why do you all naturally assume it was with Harry?" Ginny grinned. The class gasped. "Just kidding," she said quickly. "It just happened naturally, I suppose…." Definitely a lie, Ginny realized. Dean hadn't caught her _cheating_, per se, just kissing her ex-boyfriend, which she supposed did technically qualify as "doing something with Harry".

Another boy spoke. A friend of Eddie's, a Gryffindor called Fitz. "So we can _naturally_ assume that you and Professor Potter are going out now, right? Because if I'm going to be finding you two making out behind tapestries, I'd like to have some warning."

Ginny gave him a withering look. She considered. She had no idea what Harry wanted his students to know. Then, a voice from the doorway. "Well, if it takes you that long to answer…."

"Harry!" Harry was standing in the doorway. Ginny wondered how long he'd been there.

"Well, right on cue!" one of the students, Ginny couldn't tell which one, said loudly.

Harry looked like he was about to burst into laughter. He cleared his throat. "Gin, do you have any extra parchment lying around. I've run out."

"Yeah, sure." Ginny waved her wand and a cupboard door flew open, disgorging a stack of fresh parchment into Harry's arms. "That all?"

Harry grinned. "Yeah, but I see your lesson plan's gone to hell," he said.

"Oh, shut up, Harry," she replied.

"Oh, don't worry, Professor Weasley," Eddie said, "I have Defense next."

Ginny laughed and the smirk dropped from Harry's face. "Thanks, Gin," he said, turning to go. "Oh, and Fitz," he turned back, "watch out for those tapestries."

**o.o**

Ginny was back in her room, eating potato chips and reworking her lesson plan for the Sixth Years. There was a knock on the door. She rolled off the bed to answer it. She meant to give Harry a very sound lecture for that last comment.

"Harry, can you believe…," she said as she opened the door. But her voice caught in her throat. It wasn't Harry. "Dean!" she exclaimed.

"Hey, Ginny. Look, can I come in?"

Ginny wasn't sure that was a good idea. Perhaps he was planning to poison her food or something. He'd been pretty angry this morning. He didn't seem angry now. It rather frightened her, actually.

"What do you want, Dean?" she said carefully. Her voice didn't sound very kind, even to her own ears. He had been a jerk, after all.

"Okay. You're mad. Look, I'm sorry about all the stuff I said…and did…earlier. It not fair of me to be angry at you. You can't help who you love, right?" he said.

As he said this last bit, he managed to pull a half-smile onto his face. It looked vaguely like a grimace, but Ginny appreciated the effort. She opened the door further. She wasn't sure why, but he seemed sincere. She'd had this nagging guilty feeling at the back of her mind ever since Dean had walked in on her and Harry in the teacher's lounge before the holiday. She wanted to be on good terms with him, no matter what he'd said earlier.

"It's okay, Dean," she said slowly. "You can come in if you want," she added, stepping back from the doorway.

"Actually, you know," he said, stepping back, "I've said what I wanted to say. I'd better get back…I've got some papers to grade," he grinned. "Maybe I'll see you later, okay?"

"Yeah, sure," Ginny smiled. Dean – the usual, normal Dean – was always easygoing enough to make her smile. As he walked away she called him back. "Dean!" He turned around. "Does this mean we're friends again?" she laughed.

"Sure thing," Dean replied.

**o.o**

Minutes after Dean had gone, Harry arrived. He sank onto the bed beside her and they lay side by side, staring up at the ceiling. Every once and a while Ginny reached into the chip bag lying on her stomach. "Oh, before I forget, we're friends with Dean again."

Harry looked mildly surprised. "We are?"

"Yeah, he came by and apologized just now."

"And we're forgiving him just like that?"

"Erm…yes?" Ginny said uncertainly. "Okay, I know he was a jerk, but he seemed like he really meant it," she added earnestly.

Harry threw up his hands. "Okay, fine, whatever you say. You're a good judge of character, after all."

"Yes, I am," Ginny agreed.

"And modest to boot."

"Of course. Yeah, so I just wanted to let you know about Dean, so you don't go and beat him up or anything."

"Yeah, because that was what I was planning," Harry said, grinning sarcastically. "I'm a very violent person after all."

**o.o**

**Okay. There it is: Chapter 15! It all seemed rather random to me. What do you think? And I know it was rather a big turnaround with Dean, but I've got a plan and I need him and Ginny to be on okay terms. I hope that's alright with everyone…? Well, either way, review and tell me what you think!**


	16. A Visit from McGonagall

**A/N: Okay…so obviously…I'm the most horrible updater…ever. Well, if you can still bear to read my stuff, here's the 16****th**** chapter.**

**Chapter 16**

**A Visit from McGonagall**

The next morning, Ginny woke up next to Harry. He was already awake and staring at her with those eyes.

"Hey," he said.

"Hey," she said back, reaching up to her hair. "I must look like…."

"A haystack," he interrupted. "But it's cute."

"Oh," she smiled, "thanks."

"Sorry I'm still here," he said, "I fell asleep."

"Oh, it's okay," she laughed. "It was cute. I'm glad Ron isn't here or anything. You know what he'd think."

"Well it's not like we did anything," Harry said matter-of-factly. "You're too good for that."

"Thanks," Ginny said. She turned to look up at the ceiling. "But you're too good for that, too," she paused, turned back to look at him. "Aren't you?"

"Hey," Harry said, leaning in and kissing her lightly on the cheek, "don't worry. I'm actually glad you're…good."

Ginny snorted.

"No, really! I am, Gin! I really am. Look, if you're not comfortable, I'm not comfortable."

Ginny smiled. "You're such a decent guy, Harry."

He smiled back. "I try."

There was a knock on the door.

"Who in the world…," Ginny said, sitting up.

She threw her feet over the edge of the bed, winced as they touched the cold, stone floor. "Who is it?" she called.

"It's Professor McGonagall, Miss Weasley. I'd like to have a word."

Ginny whirled around, eyes wide. "What? McGonagall?" she mouthed.

Harry was already out of the bed. Ginny was frantic. She threw her hands into the air. "Um," she called, "Hold on, Professor. Just one second!"

"Oh, take your time, Professor Weasley," McGonagall said back, her voice laced with sarcasm.

"Oh my god," Ginny whispered. "What are we going to do?"

"What do you mean?" Harry mouthed.

"You know how this looks!" she mouthed back.

"Ginny!" Harry grabbed hold of her shoulders. "Breathe."

Ginny exhaled. "Okay," she said, holding her panic down. "What do we do?"

"We're adults. Maybe we just…."

"Probably not a good idea. If we can avoid the awkwardness…," she trailed off. "And how unprofessional does this look?"

"Okay, okay. Um…I'll hide, then. Bathroom?"

"Okay. Go."

Harry ran into the bathroom.

"Wait, Harry." She ran after him, grabbed his shoulder to turn him around. "Thank you. Sorry we're acting like we're Sixth Years or something."

He smiled. "It's fine," he said, and gave her a quick kiss.

"Wait," she turned his face to her, gave him a longer, deeper kiss.

"Thanks for that," he said as she pulled away.

"You're welcome," she smiled. "I'm closing the door as I leave."

"Okay."

Ginny whirled. She closed the door, ran her fingers through her hair. She took a deep breath with her hand on the doorknob, opened the door.

"I'm sorry, Professor. I wasn't expecting…."

"Yes, I wasn't expecting to visit either," McGonagall said sharply as she passed Ginny into the room.

"Okay…um…I guess you can come in," Ginny murmured.

"Close the door, Professor Weasley."

"Erm…sure, Professor." Ginny closed the door. Panic was rising in her stomach.

"Miss Weasley, I was walking down the hall and I heard a very disturbing conversation being held between two of our students."

"And, Professor?"

"They were discussing you, Miss Weasley," McGonagall turned to face her.

"Me, Professor? I don't…."

"More specifically, your love life."

"My…."

"Yes, Miss Weasley, your love life."

"I don't understand, Professor…."

"That's right, you don't. Apparently, you gave a…," she paused, rolled her eyes. Her lips were pursed. "…_lecture_ on your love life to your students."

Ginny was floored. She looked away, mumbled something. "Erm…I'm not exactly sure what to say, Professor."

"You could start, Miss Weasley, by explaining to me why you are wasting valuable class time telling students about the relationship between Mr. Potter and yourself. Because frankly, Miss Weasley, I am not very happy about it."

Ginny was speechless. "Professor, I am sorry. I really am. I didn't realize that I was out of line."

"You were, Miss Weasley. I am aware that you are new to your position and that _you_, perhaps, are unaware of the standards of professionalism that are expected of the staff at this school."

Ginny nodded. She swallowed. "It will not happen again, Professor."

"It had better not, Miss Weasley."

"Thank you for letting me know that it had interfered with my teaching."

"You're very welcome. Now, I have a meeting with Miss Chang in a few moments, so I will leave you to get ready for your classes."

"Of course, Professor." Ginny opened the door. "Once again, I'm sorry for…."

"Don't worry, Miss Weasley. It was a lapse in judgment. I understand."

McGonagall walked into the hallway. As Ginny moved to close the door behind her, McGonagall turned. "Oh, and Miss Weasley."

"Yes, Professor?"

"About Miss Chang."

Ginny cleared her throat. "What about her, Professor?"

"I would appreciate it if you could put her past relationship with Mr. Potter out of your mind until her stay with us is over. She holds a certain amount of power over this school, and I do not want past personal feelings getting mixed up in her report."

"Erm…yes, Professor, of course not."

"Thank you, Miss Weasley. Good day."

"Bye, Professor."

Ginny breathed a sigh of relief as she closed the door. Behind her, the bathroom door opened.

"Phew," Harry said as he came up behind her. "That was…."

"…interesting."

"Yes, good word. Interesting."

"You know, I better get ready for classes. You'd better as well. In a bit, that hall is going to be full of students. I don't think we want too many people to see you walking out of here. You know…unprofessional and all."

"I'm glad McGonagall didn't find me in here. Now how's _that_ for unprofessional?"

"Oh, very," she said, kissing him again. "You have to get out of here," she laughed.

"This is funny," Harry said, kissing her back, "because we didn't even do anything."

"I know! Hermione would be laughing so hard at us."

"Oh yeah," he said, grabbing the doorknob. "So I'll see you, then?"

"Yeah. Bye." She stepped up closer to him to give him one more quick kiss.

o.o

**A/N: Well, I had a little fun with this one, but it wasn't as long as I planned it to be. I'm going to save the next stuff for next chapter, which I promise will be up in at most two weeks. I know I make update promises that I don't keep, but you can safely depend on this one! Hope everyone's summer is going well. Review, please! Don't worry – I ****will**** be finishing this story, because I have known from the very beginning how I want it to end and I'm not going to give up that ending!**


	17. The Evaluation

**A/N: I sincerely hope you enjoy…**

**Chapter 17**

**The Evaluation**

Exactly two weeks after the encounter with McGonagall, there was a crowd outside the Great Hall at breakfast. Ginny spotted Harry leaning nonchalantly against a wall nearby as she exited the staircase.

"Well, don't we look dashing today," she said, coming up and leaning against the wall beside him.

"Thanks and good morning."

"Good morning to you too. What's all this about?"

"Haven't a clue. Must be something interesting, though, eh?"

"I would guess so, Sherlock."

Harry laughed. "I was just waiting for the crowd to clear up a bit before I go see what all the hullabaloo is about."

"Okay. Mind if I wait with you?"

"Don't mind at all, Watson."

Now it was Ginny's turn to laugh. "Nice use of the word 'hullabaloo' there, by the way."

"Thanks. I've been dying to use it."

"Who'd you hear it from?"

"Your dad."

"No surprise there."

About fifteen minutes later, the crowd was still as large as ever.

"You know what? I'm just going to go see. We're teachers after all…special privileges and what not," Ginny said, standing up and straightening her robes.

"Good call. I guess I'll come with," Harry returned. "Ouch…that's going to be sore tomorrow," he added as he straightened. "Leaning nonchalantly against a hard wall kills."

"The things you'll do to look dashing."

"I know! It's shameful really…the lengths I'll go to to impress you."

"Aw…how sweet," Ginny laughed.

Ginny cleared her throat as she reached the outskirts of the crowd. "Excuse me, please, Mr. Wilkins," she said, keeping her voice as authoritative as it could be.

The crowd shifted to let her and Harry through. As they reached the front of the crowd, Harry leaned in and whispered into her ear, "Nice work. Way to channel McGonagall there."

"Thanks. I do try."

Stuck by magic to the wall a few inches above Ginny's head was a posting. Ginny craned her neck a bit. It was printed on official ministry parchment, which told Ginny a lot before her eyes had even fastened on the words:

**the MINISTRY OF UNDER STUDIES EVALUATION**

**will commence ****today****, January 20**

**MINISTRY appointed representative C. CHANG will evaluate classes according to the below schedule. No exceptions will be made.**

Below was a schedule, which extended onto seven more sheets of official parchment. Ginny scanned it quickly.

"Do you see your class?" Harry asked. He was scanning as well.

"Rather hard to miss. It's the first one. Today at noon," Ginny replied, wondering at the tone of her voice.

"Why so depressed sounding?" Harry asked. He turned her face to him by the chin. "You're a brilliant teacher and everyone knows it. You haven't got any reason to worry."

"Hmm," Ginny murmured, looking around at the students' curious faces. Ever since McGonagall's reprimand, she had been careful to guard her professionalism. Being nervous about an evaluation in front of dozens of gossipy students certainly wasn't going to help her with that upkeep. "Well, where are you?" she returned brightly.

Harry raised his eyebrows at her, then turned back to the posting. "Erm…I can't find…."

Ginny turned back to the posting as well. "There," Harry said finally. "Last one."

"Lucky you."

"Well, at least you get yours over with."

"True. Here, let's get out of the way. Classes start in a few minutes anyway."

They made their way back through the crowd. They made their way up the staircase. Ginny could tell that Harry was…concerned about her. He kept looking at her out of the corner of his eyes. She thus wasn't particularly surprised when, as they turned the corner into a less-than-crowded hall, he pulled her by the arm into an alcove behind a pillar.

"So you may not want to talk about it…but are you okay?"

"Yeah. What makes you think I'm not?" she asked innocently.

"Well, you seemed a little less than happy when you saw the schedule. Then you completely changed the subject. And now you're not talking. That's the regular 'Ginny's upset' routine."

"Routine? I have an 'upset' routine," she said skeptically.

"Hate to break it to you…but you do. As mysterious as you like to be, if one looks hard enough, one finds that you are very predictable."

"And you've looked hard enough, I take it."

"Yes, in fact, I have."

"That's cute."

"I know it is. But stop trying to change the subject. What's up?"

Ginny paused. "Well, Mr. Observant, it's not a big deal, but I'm just a _bit_ nervous, is all." Harry looked as though he was going to cut in, but she continued, headlong. "And I know, I really shouldn't be, but McGonagall seems to think I need warning."

Harry cocked his head. "Warning?"

"Okay," Ginny rolled her eyes and continued. "Remember when she came to my rooms about two weeks ago?"

Harry smiled a little at the memory. "Yeah."  
"Well…she just gave a little warning about the whole thing with Cho. She told me to forget about all that _stuff_ that went on back when we were in school. You know, between her and you."  
"Why would McGonagall say something like that?" Harry asked, face serious.

"Don't you see?" Ginny said, suddenly and inexplicably impatient. "She thinks I'll say something or do something and get into a fight with Cho and that it'll reflect badly on the school." She was surprised at the fierceness in her voice.

Harry was silent for a moment. "But that's only a problem if you think there's still something between…us? Cho and me, I mean. I mean, otherwise you wouldn't even be worried that you'll…say or do something or get into a fight?"

"Yes! And that's why I'm so…confused! I mean, I trust you _completely_ and you already told me there's nothing going on. I'm being completely, completely, completely irrational!"

Harry grabbed her by the shoulders. "Hey, hey, hey, hey," he said soothingly. He paused. Ginny tried to calm her breathing. "I'm going to start," he continued, "by saying that there is nothing and will never be anything going on between me and Cho."

Ginny smiled a little. "I know that…I'm just being stupid and…."

Harry cut her off. "But, but, you're _not_ being stupid. You're being normal."

Ginny smiled a little again. "If you say so."

"And I do. You deserve a little room to be normal. Okay?"

Ginny smiled, nodded a little. "You're really too nice, Harry."

He shrugged. "Thanks, Gin." He smiled wider. "Now we better get to class. We're going to be late."

"Okay." Ginny exhaled loudly. "Well, could I be any more drama queen?"

"You should see Hermione sometimes."

"Oh man," Ginny laughed, "Remember when she found out about Ron and Lavender?"

Harry laughed. "Now _that_ was dramatic."

Ginny's face suddenly sobered. "Yeah, but at least she had a reason to be dramatic."

"Hey, give yourself a break, will you? Just concentrate on getting through your classes. And not beating Cho up during the evaluation."

Ginny laughed again. "Good advice that."

When Ginny opened the door to her classroom, her students were already chattering away inside.

"Alright everyone, sorry I'm late. Let's get started."

She set them up with an exercise out of their textbook, then pulled a stack of papers out of her desk. She got out Hermione's magical pen and wrote out the grading rubric on a blank sheet. She waited a moment as the pen processed the information, then set it atop the stack and sat back as it started the grade.

She thought back on what Harry had said. He really was too good to her. She wondered how many more times she could act like a jealous _child_ before she had tried his patience once too many times. As into Harry as she was, even she knew that he couldn't be super-boyfriend forever. She needed to get a grip.

She ran her fingers through her hair and opened another desk drawer. She pulled out her schedule and lesson plans. Cho's visit was set for noon, and noon was about five minutes into her third class – fifth years. She flipped through the pages of her lesson plan. She had a game set for today. She wondered if Cho would be leaving at the end of the class or staying for the rest of the day. In any case, her sixth years were giving their presentations, and the second years – the last class of the day – were receiving a lecture on charms used during Defense situations.

The first and second classes rolled by fairly quickly. Before Ginny knew it, she was scarfing down an early lunch during her fifteen minute break between the second and third classes. At eleven fifty-five, her fifth years began to arrive.

"Take your seats, please. I have a great lesson plan today, and we're going to want to get started as soon as possible. Yes, Gloria?"

"Well, Professor, we all saw the schedule in the Great Hall today. At breakfast?"

Ginny nodded. "Yes, I saw it as well, which was the other thing I wanted to talk to you all about. Ms. Chang, from the Ministry's Department of Under Studies, will be observing class today starting at noon."

Gloria raised her hand again. "We know, Professor, which was why we wanted to tell you that we've decided that we'll all be on our best behavior."

Ginny raised her eyebrows. She nodded towards a boy in the front row, "Even Ralph?"

There was general laughter. Ralph grinned widely, "Even me, Professor."

Gloria continued. "We've even got a plan. When you ask a question, we'll all raise our hands, so it looks like we all know the answer and are enthusiastic and what not. But we'll raise our right hand if we actually _do_ know the answer, and our left if we're just faking. That way, you'll know who to call on."

Ginny laughed. "I have to hand it to you - that's a pretty brilliant plan. But really," she continued, "you don't have to do that. I'm sure everything will go perfectly fine…even without the brilliant schemes," she paused, "But thanks anyway, guys. That's really sweet. Passing grades for everyone."

The class broke into laughter. Just then, there was a knock on the door.

Ginny nodded to a boy in the fourth row near the door. "Frank, can you answer that please?"

Frank nodded knowingly. "Sure thing, Professor Weasley." He got up, straightened his robes, stiffened his collar. Around the class, everyone straightened their desks. Some even swallowed a bit of previously unnoticed gum. Ginny smiled. At least she knew her students liked her – an ego booster for any professor, really. She couldn't wait to rub it in Harry's face, though she was sure they'd be doing the same for him in a few months time.

"Hello, Ms. Chang. Welcome to the Charms classroom," Frank was saying as he held the door wide. Ginny thought the welcome bit was a tad over the top, but she figured a little extra courtesy and brown-nosing here and there couldn't hurt. Cho stepped into the classroom. She was dressed in a pant suit this time, her hair pulled into an intricate bun at the back of her head. A notepad and what looked suspiciously like an official Ministry version of Rita Skeeter's Quick Quotes Quill was tucked into the crook of her arm.

"Hi there, Ms. Chang," Ginny said from the front of the class. She walked out from behind the desk and shook Cho's hand as warmly as she could. "Will that desk be a good vantage point for you?" She gestured to an empty desk in the back row.

Cho smiled sweetly, showing perfectly straight and near-blindingly white teeth. "Perfect, Ms. Weasley. Or, technically I suppose, it ought to be _Professor_ Weasley. Forgive me, I have trouble seeing you as anything other than Ron Weasley's _adorable_ little sister," she said. Ginny found Cho's tone horribly patronizing. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw the students raising their eyebrows at each other.

She returned just as placidly, "Oh, I hadn't known you knew my brother."

"Well, if we go by the 'friend of a friend' principle, your brother and I were actually very close," Cho replied casually.

Ginny was having increasing trouble keeping her smile genuine-looking. "I'm glad to hear it, Ms. Chang," she paused, gestured again to the seat. "Do you mind if I begin class? I have a busy lesson plan for today." She cleared her throat, smiled again with some difficulty, "I hope it'll interest you."

"Unfortunately I doubt that – Charms was never my subject of interest," Cho said matter-of-factly as she slid into the desk.

Ginny felt her students' eyebrows go up another few inches. She fought to keep a casually polite tone. She was going to remain civil if it killed her. "Well," she smiled, "either way, it should be amusing – for both of us."

Ginny walked back to the front of the room, painfully aware of how silent her students were being. She knew they could feel the tension in the room. She could certainly feel it.

"Okay, everyone. As you are undoubtedly and probably painfully aware, your Fifth-Year exams – your O.W.L.S. – are fast approaching. The Charms portion of the exam will test not only your proficiency in Fifth Year charms, but also how well you remember the charms of previous years. That's right," she said, as some of the students widened their eyes, "it is _completely_ cumulative." She paused, "I can see that some of you are already resigning yourselves to your fates," she said, and got a general laugh from the students. "_But_," she said, smiling a little, "if you do resign yourself to anything below an 'Excellent', you will have me to deal with, because I have seen you messing about with the first years' feathers when you think no one's looking," another little laugh, "…and I _know_ that you are all capable of 'Outstandings'."

She cleared her throat. "Alright, enough with the annoying pep talk. To get your brains into the review mode, we're going to be playing a game today." Flicking her wand, she opened the back wall cupboards. "You'll need to form groups of four – go ahead and figure that out." As the students bustled around for a bit, Ginny opened another desk drawer, retrieved a large stack of laminated cards. She could tell from the general feeling in the room that this was going to be successful. Her fifth-years had always been fairly enthusiastic. She had never been more grateful for their energy. That tension-filled conversation had made her even more determined to force Cho into giving her a good report.

A glance around the room told her that the students weren't going to give her any group-formation trouble this time. They had been serious about being well-behaved. They had even pushed their desks into neat little quads. She smiled.

"Okay. Each group will be receiving laminated card, selected at random by the member of each team with the…," she thought for a moment, "oldest living relation." There was another general chuckle. "On the front side of the card is a charm that you will need to perform on the object specified on the back side of the card. For example, this one," she held up a card, "is an easy one. It is 'Quickstep Charm' on a," she flipped it over, "…peanut. Now, as you can see, the back cupboards are open. Within those cupboards is everything you'll need to perform these charms on these objects. When you've completed your first charm, send sparks – I do hope you remember how to do that – into the air and I'll come around to inspect. Then I'll give you another card. The team that has accumulated the most cards at the end of the class period will receive fifty house points for each member and no homework for the next three days." There were gasps and very large grins as these rewards were announced.

"A final word of warning, though," Ginny said seriously, "this classroom is going to be chaotic. Trust me, I wrote the cards." A little more laughter. "_Please_ try not to trip, fall, slip, dive, burn, or otherwise hurt yourselves or anything or anyone else. House points and no homework is not worth a trip to Madam Pomfrey and a bottle of Skele-Gro, take my word for it. Alright?"

Her students, cherubs that she now realized they were, nodded, faces completely attentive and serious. Ginny tried not to be particularly curious about what Cho was currently writing on her notepad.

"Ready," she said slowly. Around the classroom, the students mobilized, knowing that a card would appear at the center of each quad when Ginny said 'go'. "Set…GO!"

The classroom burst into activity. A girl in the back almost face-planted as she rushed to the back wall cupboards. "Careful, Patricia," Ginny called out, walking out from behind her desk and weaving through the room, observing the students' progress.

As the class period progressed, Ginny knew that things were going well. Her students were obviously learning and having fun at the same time, with minimal interference on her part – any teacher's dream. In fact, she might have called it the best class period she had ever taught, if not for that half-jealous, half-guilty-about-being-jealous, half-nervous-about-ruining-the-school feeling in her stomach every time she happened the glance at Cho Chang in the back of the room, scribbling away.

**A/N: Yay – this was a LONG one! At least, by my standards. And I got it out to you in a reasonable time frame! Again, by my standards. I'm going on vacation soon, so hopefully I'll get one more chapter in before I leave. Bear with me! Anyway, quick question, mostly coming from fear – will this site be the same once the last (sob!) HP book comes out? I mean, after all the frantic reading (at least on my part), will people return and still read HP fanfics? Anyway, I'm hoping that some of you more seasoned readers will have a theory on what will happen. I, for one, hope this site keeps going…it's such a lovely outlet. Sorry 'bout the long note (though it goes with the long chappie) – ****review****, please!**


	18. Tension and Scandal

**A/N: Thanks for the reviews for the last chapter! I got a lot of really good advice for improving my writing, which I truly do appreciate! Thanks also for being patient while I was on vacation. Here's…**

**Chapter 18**

**Tension and Scandal**

"Good work today, everyone," Ginny said, holding the door open as the Fifth-Years filed out.

"That was a good lesson, Professor Weasley. Fun, but very educational," crowed Ralph as he came up to her. He gave a little wink. Ginny stifled a chuckle.

"Thanks, Ralph," she said, smiling and nodding in acknowledgement.

As the last student passed into the hall, Cho spoke. Ginny closed the door.

"That was a very…interesting lesson, Ms. Weasley."

"Thank you, Ms. Chang," Ginny answered politely. She met Cho's eye, walked back up the room to her desk. "Although," she couldn't help adding, sinking into her chair, "I thought I remember you saying that Charms was of absolutely no interest to you."

She looked up, Cho was smiling down at her notepad as her quill sped over it. "Oh, it isn't. I just meant that the lesson plan was very…unique. Not at all how I would have conducted it, but to each her own, I suppose."

Ginny couldn't keep a scowl from crossing her face. She was glad Cho was still concentrating on the notepad. Simply to busy herself, she flipped once more through the pages of her lesson plan, looking at, but not really reading, the words.

After a pause, Ginny spoke. "I suppose so."

Cho looked up. "I'm sorry?"

"To each her own. I suppose so," Ginny repeated.

"Although we do seem to have some tastes in common, Ms. Weasley," Cho said, looking up briefly with a loaded smile.

Ginny didn't respond. There was a knock on the door. "That'll be the next class," Ginny said. "You'll be staying?"

"Yes, until the end of the day. You certainly merit my attention."

Ginny wasn't sure what to make of that last bit. It sounded dangerously like a threat. Obviously the "attentions" Cho was referring to were negative ones. She controlled her face. Ginny realized that she had assumed Cho wouldn't know about her and Harry. That she would be blissfully unaware and thus have no reason to be unduly catty. Ginny had thought, obviously naively, that her own jealousies were the only ones she would have to deal with.

Ginny realized, with a sudden urge to kick herself, that it was probably her fault that Cho had found out about her love life. If she hadn't gone blabbing off to her students, they would've been unable to go blabbing off down corridors where Ministry representatives could hear. McGonagall was, apparently, right about everything.

All this ran through Ginny's mind as she walked to the door, pulled it open. The Sixth-Years filed in talking loudly, did double-takes as they spotted Cho smiling from the back of the room (to Ginny's eyes, the smile was obviously utterly fake), fell into painful silence, and slid quietly into their seats.

"This is Ms. Chang," Ginny said to the general room as she shut the door and moved back to the front of the class. A rather awkward silence met that announcement. Cho was already scribbling in the back of the room.

Ginny smiled. "So, today we have your presentations on the evolution of magical charms. Ms. Chang," she said, turning to address Cho directly, "the Sixth-Years have been preparing these midterm presentations as home and classwork for the better part of two weeks."

Cho gave a little nod, still gazing intently at her pad and Quick-Quotes-style quill. Ginny turned back to the class. "Would anyone like to be the first victim?"

The class laughed nervously. All heads turned not-so-subtly to a girl in a middle-front seat, whose hand, as everyone seemed to have predicted, flew into the air. Ginny was reminded, as she had been from the beginning of the school year, of a certain bushy-haired, currently-pregnant friend. "Yes, Ms. Harvey, I'm sure your presentation will be a wonderful first impression."

And it was. Jemimah Harvey, the bookworm and star student of that year, did herself proud. Her midterm presentation was a complete history of the evolution of the Fidelius Charm. The increasing despair of the other students was practically tangible as Jemimah produced prop after prop from thin air to aid her presentation.

Of course the following presentations could not match up and Ginny vaguely regretted not saving Jemimah's presentation until last. What little confidence the other students had had seemed to have been chipped away during Ms. Harvey's flawless performance. It made Ginny pity them, and also all those that had been in Hermione's year, including Harry and Ron.

As the other students laboured through their presentations, Ginny kept half her brain on her grading sheet and the other half on Cho. What could Cho be writing about? Ginny wasn't even really teaching. But maybe _that_ was what Cho was writing, that cynical side cut in…

The class passed and soon enough, Ginny was letting them out of the classroom. "Good work," she said encouragingly. They all looked rather dejected. "Don't worry," she added, "you didn't do half as badly as you think you did." There was an appreciative laugh. "No homework tonight. You've worked quite hard lately, I think."

Again it was only herself and Cho in the room. Again, as the door closed, Cho spoke. "Though it certainly seems that the students learned a great deal by these presentations, I can't help but wonder _why_ they learned what they learned." Cho looked up, eyebrows raised. "The whole thing – evolution of charms," she said in a terribly patronizing tone, "- it all seems rather pointless, doesn't it?" She gazed expectantly at Ginny, pen poised.

Ginny managed a smile. "Well it's rather like History of Magic, isn't it?" she said tauntingly. She paused, "I seem to remember you were very good at that back in school?"

Cho laughed, a high, tinkling sound. It was false to the core and Ginny found it very annoying, though she had to admit she was probably a little biased. "Are you saying you find a Ministry-approved course pointless?"

"Oh, not at all," Ginny countered, "I only meant that evolution of charms is like History of Magic in that it's part of the curriculum. I find both very indispensable, Ms. Chang."

Ginny saw Cho scratch something out on her notepad, rather reluctantly it seemed. Ginny smiled.

"The next class is Second Years. If you don't mind, I'd better prepare my lecture."

Ginny walked back up to her desk, opened a desk drawer, and pulled out a small stack of papers. On the pages was just as much of Harry's writing as Ginny's. It was a lecture on "Charms Used in Defense Situations" after all. She had consulted Harry and they had come up with a sort of joint lecture, addressing the topic from both the Charms and the Defense side. She was actually very proud of the way it had turned out.

She pulled up the fabric that covered the chalkboard. She walked to the classroom door, opened it to the group of chatting students waiting outside.

"Hello, Professor," said one as they started inside. The Second-Years exhibited the same sort of double-take the Sixth-Years had shown as Cho became visible. They dispersed around the classroom in utter silence.

"Today we will be having a lecture on Charms in Defense Situations." Ginny grinned, "Now don't look so enthusiastic. Please get out whatever you need to take notes. Yes," she added at the expectant looks on some students' faces, "this material will be tested."

"Let's begin," she said. She paused as the students rustled about in their packs, pulling out quill, ink, and parchment. She pulled out her wand, waved it a little. The title of the lecture curved and curled over the top of the chalkboard.

"We'll start with my personal favorite, shall we?" Ginny said, keeping her voice light. She was careful not to drone; she herself had been through too many droning lectures. A monotone teacher had double the power of Cynthia's Magical Snore-Aid.

The words twirled across the board - "The Bat-Bogey Hex". "Can anyone give me the spell and wand movements?"

Nearly an hour later, Ginny pulled the fabric back down over the chalkboard. "Thanks for your attention guys," she said, replacing the stack of papers in the desk drawer.

"Professor," said one student, putting his hand in the air rather timidly. Ginny saw him glance nervously at Cho in the back as though worried he might jeapordize the school's reputation by asking.

"Yes, Marcus?"

"Will you tell us before the test or should we be expecting a pop…." He trailed off.

Ginny smiled. "I'll let you know. I'm not quite that mean." General laughter.

"Thanks, Professor," Marcus said.

"We've got a few minutes, but you can start packing up. Good work not falling asleep today," she added. Again, general laughter. The hubbub started up again, rather nervously at first, but then it got to its usual level. It was the end of the day, after all.

Cho got up out of her chair and came towards Ginny. As she reached the front of the room, a student detached herself from a pod of friends and came forward. "Professor, before we leave, I just had a quick question about the lecture."

"Sure," Ginny said, glancing briefly at Cho and turning away to address the student.

By the time Ginny had finished with the question, the students were already filing out. "Does that answer it, Frances?"

Frances nodded, scribbling something quickly on her parchment. "Thanks, Professor. See you next class."

"Alright. Enjoy dinner."

The girl hurried to catch up with her friends. Ginny turned to face Cho. "Thanks for waiting, Ms. Chang. But it has to be students first, of course." She smiled innocently.

"Of course," Cho said. "Well, I was hoping I might take a look at your lecture notes. I saw you referring to them every so often."

"Well people do tend to do that when they give lectures," Ginny replied sweetly. "But here you are." She opened the drawer, pulled the stack back out.

Cho took the stack, straightened them on top of her clipboard. She scanned the first page. "How much of this is yours?"

"Sorry?"

"How much of the lecture did you write up yourself?"

"All of it. It was rather a team effort, though." Ginny knew where this was heading. She steeled herself.

"Well, Ms. Weasley, it was a very well-organized lecture. If you wouldn't mind giving credit where it's due…?"

Ginny laughed a little, trying to sound lighthearted. "Professor Potter and I put it the lecture together. He teaches Defense, I teach Charms. We figured a lecture on Defensive Charms could use both of our expertise."

"I see. Do you and Professor Potter work together often?"

Ginny kept her face passive. "Nothing out of the ordinary. Just as much as we work with other teachers, Ms. Chang."

"Really?" Cho said. Her voice told Ginny she was utterly unconvinced. "So you're not dating, then?"

Ginny was rather taken aback. She hadn't expected Cho to be so direct. "Excuse me, Ms. Chang, but I don't see how my personal life could possibly weigh into your report."

Cho's smile faltered noticeably. "Why don't you let me decide what should _weigh in_ to my report, Ms. Weasley. After all, I am the one qualified to decide what the _Ministry_ needs to know." She laid heavy emphasis on the word 'Ministry'.

Ginny raised her eyebrows. "With all due respect, I can't see the Minister of Magic being interested in the intimate details of the Hogwarts Charms Professor's love life. Sounds a bit ridiculous, don't you think?"

The smile dropped from Cho's face like a brick in water. "Ms. Weasley, you are a Hogwarts professor. You really shouldn't presume to decide what the Minister of Magic ought to be interested in."

Ginny dropped the effort of supporting a false smile. She couldn't keep a tad bit of derisiveness from her voice as she replied, "Forgive me, I just thought the Ministry had more important things to worry about."

Suddenly, as if something had snapped, Cho's voice rose to a harse undertone. There was unconcealed venom in each word; she practically spat out the consonants. "A romantic relationship between two professors would be considered by the Ministry as nothing short of a scandal that could upset the learning process."

Ginny responded with just the same low-voiced vehemence. "And would the Ministry consider it any less of a scandal, Ms. Chang, if a Hogwarts professor dated the Ministry representative sent to assess the school?" she paused, "That _is_ what you were hoping for, right?"

Cho looked taken aback. Ginny realized, with a self-satisfied feeling in her stomach, that Cho had expected Ginny to take it all lying down.

"Well," she said, adjusting the papers on her clipboard in an attempt to look less flustered, "I guess that concludes my evaluation."

Ginny held out her hand. "Thank you, Ms. Chang," she said.

"Goodbye, Professor Weasley," Cho replied coldly. She grasped Ginny's hand for a moment – it hardly qualified as a shake – then turned and left. Ginny heard Cho's heels clicking down the hall as the door swung closed.

**o.o**

**A/N: I'm sure that, as avid Harry Potter fans, you have, like me, already completed the Deathly Hallows (if not more than once). I LOVED IT! Let me know what you all think! I won't give anything away here, just in case you haven't finished, but suffice it to say that I wasn't disappointed! In any case, I suppose pretty much all fanfiction is now AU (like this one). PLEASE KEEP REVIEWING…the next chapter will be up in a jiffy. Panic, lecturing, and a bit of snogging to follow in the upcoming chapters!**


	19. Grounds for Dismissal

**A/N: Hope you like this one, even though it's got a lot of uber-long paragraphs, which, if you're anything like me, can really put you off a chapter. But really, it only ****looks**** daunting. So, when you manage to get through, review! Hey, that sorta rhymed…**

**Chapter 19**

**Grounds for Dismissal**

_Suddenly, as if something had snapped, Cho's voice rose to a harse undertone. There was unconcealed venom in each word; she practically spat out the consonants. "A romantic relationship between two professors would be considered by the Ministry as nothing short of a scandal that could upset the learning process."_

_Ginny responded with just the same low-voiced vehemence. "And would the Ministry consider it any less of a scandal, Ms. Chang, if a Hogwarts professor dated the Ministry representative sent to assess the school?" she paused, "That is what you were hoping for, right?"_

**o.o**

Ginny stood frozen beside her desk. What had she done? Of course, she had been provoked. She had tried as hard as she knew how to keep herself in check, submissive…. But it didn't matter how hard she had tried, she'd risen to Cho's bait. On the one hand, she was actually rather proud of herself. She'd stood up for herself and given Cho a taste of her own medicine. On the other hand….

She wondered, with increasing panic, whether Cho could have her fired. It didn't seem likely that a single argument would be enough, but coupled with her relationship with Harry…? No – she thought, exhaling loudly and shaking herself – that must have been a threat. Empty words designed to raise Ginny's doubts. But still….

Ginny sighed in frustration. Her mind was chasing itself around in circles. Impatiently, she pushed a stray lock of hair behind her ear. On impulse, she pulled her papers into her arms and walked to the door. She wanted to get out of the classroom.

She tried to calm herself as she started down the hall. Her own dormitory would be a relief. She tried to clear her head, think rationally. It had all been a whirlwind. She had tried to keep control of herself, but Cho's hostility had been completely unexpected. She had guarded herself against her _own_ jealousies, not Cho's.

She was so wrapped up in her thoughts that she didn't notice him until he was right in front of her, grasping one of her shoulders steadyingly and peering concernedly into her face.

"Dean!" she gasped, "You nearly scared me to death."

"She speaks!" he said, sighing good-naturedly and releasing her shoulder. "I was worried you were about to faint."

Ginny tried at a light chortle. It turned out something like a wheezing cough. "I'm fine," she said reassuringly, "I'm just going back to my rooms."

"Right," Dean replied, sounding utterly unconvinced. He paused. Ginny wondered if she should walk around him to continue down the hall. She thought better of it; she didn't want it to look as though she was trying to escape. "You had your evaluation with Cho today, didn't you?" he said finally, as though he suddenly understood everything.

Ginny nodded. "You know, I think I'd better get going." She wasn't in the mood for any I-told-you-so's.

"Well, I think I'd better walk you over to your dorm," Dean said. "I don't think Harry'd ever forgive me if you fainted midway down the hall," he said, his voice full of that non-threatening finality she had felt safe with when they had dated.

As they started farther down the hall, Ginny couldn't help but admire how Dean had mentioned Harry. It had been acknowledging but, at the same time, completely and calmly accepting. There had been just enough good-naturedness in it so it came off lightly, but not at all fake.

They walked down the hall in silence, Ginny still biting back a fair amount of panic. If Cho complained to the Ministry, a letter of dismissal could come within a week. Just as they reached her dormitory, Ginny stopped.

"Er…something wrong?" Dean asked, looking around a little nervously.

"Sorry, Dean, but I have to go see McGonagall," she said. McGonagall could surely tell her whether what had happened was enough to get her fired. It was the only way Ginny could put her mind to rest, one way or the other.

"Okay," Dean said slowly, looking more than a little confused. He smiled, "Think you can make it there without collapsing? Sorry to bail on you, but I've got a meeting with Sprout," he gestured back down the hall. "We're working on a dual lesson plan."

Ginny smiled. "It's fine. Thanks for walking me down here."

"Hey, no problem. That's what friends are for, right?" Dean was looking at her searchingly. It wasn't a rhetorical question then. He wanted to confirm that they were really back to being friends.

She nodded, trying to push a reassuring look onto her face. "Yeah," she said finally, "I guess so."

**o.o**

"Come in."

McGonagall sounded annoyed, even through the door. For a moment, Ginny stood on the landing, wondering if it wouldn't be better to just turn around. She dreaded seeing the look on McGonagall's face when she found out there had been a…conflict, especially after the warning she'd given Ginny.

"Come in," McGonagall repeated, sounding more irritated, if that was possible. Ginny opened the door. She knew she wouldn't get a peaceful night's sleep until she found out once and for all if she'd be getting that letter of dismissal.

"Ah, Ms. Weasley," McGonagall said, glancing up from the huge stack of papers that sat before her. She didn't smile. "Sit down," she added briefly.

Ginny sank into an armchair. "Can I help you with something?" McGonagall said finally, still not looking up.

"Well, Professor," Ginny said, managing to keep her voice calm, "Cho Chang has just observed my classes."

This time, McGonagall looked up sharply. She straightened her papers and set down her pen with painful slowness.

"And…?"

Ginny swallowed a little, then dove right in. "We exchanged some…harsh words, Professor."

McGonagall lips pursed – the thinnest Ginny had ever seen them. Her voice was sharp, her syllables short. "I warned you about that, Ms. Weasley."

"I know, Professor," Ginny said, suddenly defensive. It hadn't been her fault! "but to be frank, Ms. Chang provoked me."

"I don't care about provocations, Ms. Weasley!" McGongall returned, "You should have guarded yourself against them."

"You can't have expected me to sit down and take whatever she threw at me." Ginny's tone was edging on anger.

This silenced McGonagall for a moment. "No," she said finally, "I suppose I couldn't have." Ginny sighed a little in relief. "But this will not happen again, correct?" she added.

"Of course not," Ginny said quickly, happy that McGonagall seemed to be coming over to her side. Then she remembered that she hadn't come here to win McGonagall over, but to ask her a question. "Professor, can I be fired for this?"

"What? For a confrontation?" McGonagall said, face serious.

Ginny nodded.

"No, I don't think so. Cho Chang has full power to sack anyone in this school, but she's still got to explain her decisions to the Minister afterwards. I don't think she wants to go before the Minister of Magic and his Ministry Heads of Departments and explain all about her love life and the origins of your fight, do you?"

"She said that a relationship between two teachers," Ginny paused meaningfully, "could be grounds for dismissal…," she let the sentence hang.

"Empty threats, I should think," McGonagall said firmly. "You don't think you and Mr. Potter are the first teachers to have a relationship while here at Hogwarts, do you?" she added, eyes sparkling.

Ginny raised her eyebrows. "No, I guess not."

"But you'll need to be on your guard from now on. Ms. Chang will be looking for a means to get back at you." McGonagall's lips pursed again, "She's a rather vindictive girl, has been since she started school here. I had hoped you had found that out."

Ginny was silent for a moment. Finally she spoke, "Sorry, Professor. Thanks for seeing me." She rose to leave. No matter McGonagall's solemn words, her heart was a little lighter. Now that her evaluation was over, she could just steer clear of Cho and any temptation to sign her own dismissal notice.

But as Ginny reached the door, McGonagall spoke. Ginny turned; McGonagall was scanning her papers intently as she spoke. "I know from experience, Ms. Weasley, that it's one thing to tell someone else to lay down and take threats, but quite another to take them yourself. I suppose that, if you really were provoked, and if I know Ms. Chang I expect you were, I can hardly blame you for standing up for yourself. In fact, I ought to be congratulating you for refraining from hitting her. Dumbledore always said you had commendable self-control…except for that Bat-Bogey incident in the Great Hall in your Fifth Year." McGonagall looked up suddenly, as though she'd just realized something. "You won't back Bat-Bogey her, will you?" she said, looking as though she was genuinely concerned that Ginny might be considering it.

Ginny smiled a little mischeviously, then shook her head.

"Good," McGonagall returned to her papers, "Because that _would_ be grounds for dismissal."

**o.o**

**A/N: Sorry for the three weeks it took to update this chapter. And sorry for its unimpressive length. I know I shouldn't be giving excuses, but I had the most ****killer**** case of writer's block. I know some of you are mad at me for always promising to update and then breaking my promises – to all those people – SORRY, SORRY, SORRY! **

**But I'm really going to reform myself! I'm starting the next chapter as soon as I post this one. So Chapter 20 will be up before the end of the week! **

**If you can bear to forgive me for my terrible updating habits, please review. Praise and constructive criticism are both lovely.**

**PS. I've been reading a lot of fics lately, and can't figure out what a "Mary-Sue" is. Can anyone enlighten me?**


	20. Cake, Please

**A/N: See? I'm reforming! I promised you this chapter by the end of the week, and here it is! Oh, and paragraphs look longer on my Word files than on That's why I talked about long paragraphs (that weren't actually long) at the beginning of Chapter 19. Here it is…the big two-oh!**

**Chapter 20**

**Cake, Please**

Ginny couldn't help smiling as she left the Headmistress' office and started back to her rooms. Now that McGonagall had said it, Bat-Bogeying Cho would have made her feel loads better. But alas, no such luck.

As she rounded the corner into each new corridor, Ginny pictured herself hexing a very surprised Cho. Needless to say, when she finally reached her rooms, she was in a very good mood.

And there was Harry, leaning, again nonchalantly, against the wall by her door. Ginny stopped for a moment to take in just how good looking her boyfriend was. He was lanky, but carried it well, and he still had all those Quidditch-star, Death-Eater-defeating muscles. Those dazzling green eyes behind the much-repaired glasses were currently thoughtfully contemplating the opposite wall and hadn't seen her yet. His hair was messy as ever and spilled over a bit into his face. Just then, he brushed that bit of hair aside and spotted her.

He smiled, searching her face in a way that confirmed that he hadn't forgotten the ordeal she'd faced today.

She smiled reassuringly and his forehead uncreased a little. "Still going to great lengths to impress me, I see."

"I never learn, really," he said, wincing as he straightened. "This wall's worse than the one in the Great Hall. He patted the place where his back had just been. "The stones really protrude," he added seriously.

Ginny laughed. "Come on in," she said, tapping the door with her wand. She heard the anti-intruder charms that hid on the other side of the door whip away. She pushed the door open.

Inside, she threw her armful of parchment onto her bed and sank into the desk chair. Harry sat on the edge of her bed and began perusing her papers. She watched him, eyebrows raised.

He looked up, gestured to the lofty stack. "What have I told you about assigning papers? You're digging yourself a grading grave here."

"Hermione's pen," she said, rolling her eyes.

"Still," he returned, his voice mockingly weary, "you've got to pick up the pen, write stuff down…. You'll strain your wrist muscles, you will. And I won't be there to save you."

Ginny laughed. "What kind of teacher are you?"

"The practical kind. How am I going to teach with a strained wrist? I'd be a laughingstock."

"Oh woe is you."

Harry nodded sadly. Then he looked up, face serious. "I leaned nonchalantly," he gestured to the door, "for about half an hour after the last class ended." He paused, "so either you really did beat Cho up after class or you stopped by the Three Broomsticks for a Butterbeer on your way here, in which case…." He held out his hand for a Butterbeer mug.

"I cursed Cho," Ginny replied, keeping her face completely serious.

Harry's eyes widened. "You didn't!"

"I did. McGonagall offered to hold her down while I did the dirty work."

Harry's shock collapsed into a laugh. "Never in a million years."

"Okay fine," Ginny admitted, "I didn't hex her. Not to say I didn't want to."

"What happened?"

"What do you mean 'what happened'?"

"I mean, something must have happened for you to want to hex Cho," Harry said uncertainly.

"Like I need another reason to hex that girl," Ginny muttered, smiling evilly.

"Remind me to stay on your good side," Harry grinned.

"Well, I went to see McGonagall after class to see if I was gonna be sacked for talking back to Cho. Which I'm not, apparently, so that's a good thing."

"What'd you say to Cho?"

Ginny cleared her throat. "Cho made some horrid comments about Charms and I kept total control of myself," she recounted proudly. "But then I lost it when she said I'd be fired for…erm…dating you."

"She said that!?" Harry's eyes widened again.

"Like I said, I lost it."

"What else did she say?"

Ginny shrugged. "Nothing I can remember."

"Oh. Good," Harry said. He paused for a moment, seeming to weigh his next words. But when he spoke, he sounded nonchalant. "So she didn't say anything about me and her?"

Ginny raised her eyebrows. "Not that I recall…," she said finally.

Ginny thought she saw relief pass over Harry's face, but a moment later he was smiling.

"Why?" she asked, trying to keep the tiny note of suspicion out of her voice.

Harry didn't miss a beat. "Because I was worried, you know, that she'd make something up, and then you'd be more upset than when this whole thing started."

"Yeah," Ginny sighed, dropping the suspicions. At this point, she was probably just imagining things. She got out of the chair, went over to kiss Harry on the cheek.

"Well, you got through it," said Harry in a congratulatory tone, taking Ginny's hands into his own. He leaned in and kissed her lightly. Ginny smiled, kissed him back, deepened it a little. Harry's hands tightened on hers as the kiss intensified.

Ginny started floating a little again, like she did whenever Harry kissed her like that. For a moment, she forgot all about Cho, evaluations, jealousy…she was suspended in a sort of timeless bliss that was difficult for her to explain, even to herself. She remembered having tried to explain the feeling to Hermione once…when Ginny and Harry had dated in Fifth Year. In her own opinion, Ginny hadn't done the feeling justice, but she remembered how Hermione had lain back on the bed, gazed at the canopy of the bed, and wondered aloud if she'd ever feel that way. Vaguely, Ginny hoped Hermione felt this way when she kissed Ron.

As she came up for air, Ginny's wondered how much time had passed since she and Harry had started kissing. She realized that she could never pinpoint exactly how long she and Harry snogged. She remembered that with all her past boyfriends, Dean included, she had been painfully aware of time constraints – classes she was going to be late for, homework or paperwork that she ought to be doing. With Harry, she forgot all of that.

After several minutes that may have been several hours, Ginny pulled back a little. "Want to get something to eat?"

Harry smiled. "Honestly? I'd much rather stay here with you. Who taught you how to kiss like that? I'd like to thank him."

Ginny laughed. "You did. I was taught by the best. I never kissed particularly well before I dated you."

"Really?" Harry said, raising his eyebrows in a rather self-satisfied way.

"Mmhmm," Ginny said. "Even Dean noticed."

"Really?" Harry said again, a little more incredulous this time.

"Well, he dated me before and after I dated you, and he actually noticed a difference."

"In your kissing abilities?"

"Yup," Ginny said, laughing at the look on Harry's face.

"He told you that?"

"Yeah," Ginny grinned, "Except in a less-happy sort of tone."

"He wasn't happy about it," Harry said skeptically.

"Well, he was happy about the kissing bit, just a little less happy about how much that meant _we'd_ been kissing."

"We did kiss a lot," Harry admitted, nodding.

"Yes, we did," Ginny agreed.

"Anyway," Harry grinned, "you mentioned food?"

"I did, but now that you mention it, hordes of noisy students don't sound so great to me either. Staying in here with you is definitely the more attractive option."

"But we do have to eat."

"Who says?" Ginny teased.

Harry laughed. "Well, the laws of human survival, for one."

"Hmm…guess you've got me there."

Harry paused for a moment. Ginny could tell – from years of Fred and George experience - that he was concocting a plan. Finally he said, "How about we bypass the Great Hall and go straight for the kitchens. The House Elves can serve us up whatever we want."

"That's true," Ginny said thoughtfully, "I'm quite popular with the Kitchen Elves."

"_You_ are?" Harry said, looking genuinely shocked. "Since when have you been down to the…."

"Oh, come off it, Harry!" Ginny said, folding her arms in mock indignation, "It's not like I haven't been down there loads of times. I'm not Fred and George's sister for nothing."

"Again, you're taught by the best."

"You'd better believe it."

**o.o**

They left Ginny's rooms with mock-stealth, making their way down the corridors on tip-toe, stifling laughter. Every time they passed someone in the hall, they both straightened, trying to act normally, save some level of professionalism. Tears of laughter were streaming down Ginny's face by the time they reached the kitchens.

Harry, who was biting his lip to keep from laughing aloud, leaned over and wiped the tears off her face.

Ginny cleared her throat, steadied herself. She nodded to Harry, who grinned widely, pulled back the tapestry of the fruit bowl, and entered the kitchens.

On the other side of the wall was a bustle of efficient activity. House Elves carrying stacks of platters and pots of boiling soup twice their size were scurrying about at near-dizzying speed. The exact replicas of the four House tables in the Great Hall were being laden with food that quickly disappeared, only to reappear, Ginny knew, on their counterparts above.

Ginny and Harry observed the unabating activity for several minutes, until finally the hubbub lessened. As the last of the desserts magicked up to the Great Hall, the House Elves relaxed a little, began drifting back to groups of low benches and summoning Butterbeers. Suddenly, a House Elf with a particularly food-smeared smock, rushed forward.

"Miss Ginny! Welcome back, miss! How very glad we all are to see you!"

Ginny smiled. "Nice to see you as well, Numkins, but I've actually brought a guest this time."

The House Elf looked past Ginny to Harry. By this time, nearly all the House Elves in the kitchen were peering curiously over at them. It was thus that several dozen pairs of eyes widened at once in recognition.

"Mr. Harry Potter!" Numkins exclaimed. "It's been a great deal of time since we last saw Mr. Potter here! And since then he has achieved many, many noble feats! We are _so_ pleased that you've come back again!"

Harry smiled sheepishly. "Erm…thanks. Happy to be here," he said.

The House Elf turned back to Ginny, looking visibly awed. "How kind of Miss Ginny to bring Mr. Potter with her on her visit. How very grateful we all are! What can we do for Miss Ginny and Mr. Potter?"

"Well," said Ginny, smiling, "if it's all right, could we have some dinner to bring up to our rooms?"

"Of course, Miss Ginny. We're very happy to oblige," Numkins returned, smiling even more widely than before, if that were possible. "Would you like some ice cream like last time? Or perhaps your favorite steaming hot mint leaf soup…?"

Ginny glanced at Harry, who raised his eyebrows at her.

"Although," Numkins continued, "if Miss Ginny and Mr. Potter wanted dinner in their rooms, why didn't they simply summon an Elf to them?"

Ginny turned to Harry again. This time, it was her turn to look sheepish. Harry raised his eyebrows even farther. "Because Miss Ginny wanted to impress Mr. Potter with how popular she is with the House Elves," he muttered, sounding very amused.

Ginny grinned. "Well, is it working?" she muttered back.

"Like a charm," Harry returned.

"Well," Ginny said in a self-satisfied tone, turning back to Numkins, "I wanted Mr. Potter to see what a good job you all are doing. He doesn't come down to the kitchens very often and I wanted him to meet all of you."

"How kind you are, Miss Ginny!" Numkins exclaimed. He turned to glance back at his fellow House Elves, all of whom were still watching in ill-concealed excitement. They all nodded subtly to him in some unspoken agreement. "Well," said Numkins slowly, "Since Miss Ginny is so kind to offer, we would all very much like to shake Mr. Potter's hand…perhaps introduce ourselves…?" He ended it like a question, as though asking permission.

Ginny glanced at Harry, not wanting to put him up for something without getting his confirmation. She was gratified to see him looking pleasantly shocked and grinning in surprise and appreciation. "Well, sure, of course," he said. "I'd be honoured, really, to…."

Numkins and the other Elves shifted in excitement. After a moment's pause, Numkins jumped forward and held out his hand, which Harry shook. "It's such a great feeling to meet you again, Mr. Potter. _Such_ an honour." Ginny had never seen Numkins so flustered.

The other House Elves quickly formed a line behind Numkins, blinking their large eyes an inordinate amount in their enthusiasm. After having told Harry a suitable number of times what an honour it was, Numkins skipped over to Ginny.

"Meanwhile, Numkins will help prepare Miss Ginny and Mr. Potter's dinner. What would Miss Ginny like?"

"Whatever you think is best, Numkins. You pick, but don't go to _too_ much trouble."

Numkins looked so tremendously gratified at being given such an important decision to make that Ginny knew she would be happy to eat whatever he chose. As each elf finished shaking Harry's hand, he or she joined Numkins in preparing the dinner. Boxes filled with food began to pile up, but the Elves looked so eager to prepare more that Ginny didn't have the heart to stop them.

Finally, the last Elf bowed deeply to Harry, then scurried off to help box the last dish. Harry came over to Ginny, grinning ear to ear. "Whenever I'm feeling bad about myself I should just come down here. I don't think I've ever been complimented that much in my life."

"House Elves are the best," Ginny agreed. "I'd join S.P.E.W. any day."

"Me too," Harry agreed, putting his arm casually around Ginny's shoulder.

"Miss Ginny, Mr. Potter," Numkins bobbed up to them, "Would you like a dessert? A sponge cake, perhaps, or a platter of brownies?" He looked eagerly from Ginny to Harry and back again.

Harry looked questioningly at Ginny. "A cake sounds good," he said.

"I really should watch my diet…," Ginny said slowly, eyeing the pile of food-filled boxes that she knew she wouldn't be able to resist.

"Oh, come off it, Gin," Harry said, "You should eat. You're ridiculously thin," he added, a tad uncertainly. "Really, really thin," he said again, just for emphasis.

Ginny turned to him, eyebrows raised in amusement. "Are you saying that because that stupid book Ron gave you about girls told you it'd make me feel better?

Harry nodded hesitantly. "Well, is it working?"

"Like a charm," Ginny replied, grinning and standing on tip-toe to kiss him on the cheek. She turned back to Numkins. "Cake, please."

**o.o**

**A/N: I updated my profile, by the way. It's a bunch of random information that I'm sure no one particularly cares about. But just thought I'd mention.**

**Oh, and thank you to everyone who enlightened me on the "Mary-Sue" issue. elle (a reviewer – YAY!) asked me to post an answer if I got one. If I've got this right, a Mary-Sue is a flawless character who can do no wrong and is thus extremely annoying. Sometimes the Mary-Sue is supposed to be based on the author or a friend of the author's. Is that accurate? My story isn't Mary-Sue-ish, is it?**

**One last thing, an anonymous reviewer (Ellen Finer) gave me the biggest compliment – that my writing style reminded her of J.K. Rowling's! That's seriously the greatest compliment an HP fanfiction writer can receive. I wanted to Private Message Ellen Finer to thank her, but I couldn't because she was anonymous. So here's a BIG thank you to Ellen – that review really made my day.**

**REVIEW, no matter what you thought – pretty PLEASE with a cherry on top!**


	21. Baby Wingardium, Idiot For Short

**A/N: So things are definitely going to start picking up in the next few chapters – plotwise, I mean. Enjoy!**

**Chapter 21**

**Baby Wingardium, Idiot For Short**

Nearly a week had passed since Ginny and Harry's kitchen escapades. Ginny stumbled laughing into Harry's dormitory. She turned on the threshold, threw her arms around Harry's neck. She kissed him, still laughing against his lips.

"I'm completely drenched," Harry grinned, his face centimeters from Ginny's.

"That does tend to happen," Ginny said, "when one goes flying in the rain."

"True," Harry admitted, laughing as he leaned in for another bout of kissing.

"Your room is surprisingly clean," Ginny said, finally pulling away and surveying her surroundings.

Just then, they both heard something. It sounded like some small animal was moving around beneath Harry's pillow.

"What the bloody…?" Ginny said. "Harry, maybe you'd better…."

"It's only the brush. No need to curse the head off anything," he laughed when he saw that Ginny had her hand poised to pull out her wand. He walked over to the head of his bed, retrieved a brush from beneath his pillow. "You gave this to me, remember? Question is: unless you're calling me…," he looked at her, "which doesn't look likely, who is? Has someone stolen your mirror?"

Ginny laughed in realization. "I lent mine to Hermione…in case she needed to get a hold of us."

"You might have told me," Harry waved a finger at her. "What if I'd said something uncomfortable and it turned out to be your brother."

"Teach you to keep uncomfortable comments to yourself."

"Yeah, yeah. Should I…?" he gestured to the mirror.

Ginny rolled her eyes. "No, Harry, just keep 'em waiting."

Harry shrugged, grinning. "All right, here goes." He pulled out his wand, whispered a spell. The bristles of the brush drew back. The mirror reflected a swirling shape for a moment, then Hermione's face swam into focus.

"What took you so long?" she demanded, running a hand impatiently through her mousy-brown curls.

"Well, Ginny here wanted to curse the head off this thing."

Hermione looked only momentarily confused; she was used to Harry and Ginny having countless and indecipherable inside jokes. Ginny skipped over to Harry's bed, climbed onto it and rested her head on Harry's shoulder.

"Oh, there you are," Hermione said as Ginny came into the picture.

"What's up?" Ginny said, taking in Hermione's stern eyes and super-straight posture. Either Ron or hormones was making her upset.

"Where's Ron?" Harry said, seeming to have picked up on the same tell-tale signals.

"Oh, perusing some baby name book or something," Hermione said, waving her hand dismissively. Hormones, then. Ginny steeled herself.

"Have you gotten your leave yet?" Hermione said abruptly.

"Our what?" Harry and Ginny said together.

Hermione rolled her eyes. "Your _leave_. You know, for the wedding? Ring any bells?" She sighed wearily, "No pun intended."

Ginny ignored Hermione's tone. She was pregnant, after all. "No we haven't," she replied. "We wanted to make sure you were sure about the date. April 22nd?" Ginny was lying through her teeth. Fact was, between the Cho drama and running all around Hogwarts with Harry, Ginny had forgotten all about talking to McGonagall about time off.

"Of course it's the same date," Hermione said, her face softening a little. "But you'd better go talk to McGonagall. Actually, talk to her today. That's an order. The sooner you ask, the more likely you are to get time off."

"Well, I've checked," said Harry, "and April 22nd is a Hogsmeade day. So that's convenient."

"Oh, we'll definitely be able to skip a Hogsmeade trip. Hey," Ginny turned to Harry, "isn't there a Hogsmeade day coming up soon?"

"Yeah, three weeks."

"Why do we have so many Hogsmeades all of a sudden."

"I dunno. Maybe because there's no more Voldy to worry about. Maybe because McGonagall likes to frequent the Hog's Head and needs an excuse. Who knows?," Harry shrugged. "But I don't mind - don't mind at all."

Ginny laughed at the McGonagall bit. From the mirror, Hermione cleared her throat. Loudly.

"Sorry to interrupt this important conversation," she said, her voice horribly sarcastic. "But just because it's a Hogsmeade day doesn't mean you don't have to ask. McGonagall could be shorthanded and _make _you go be chaperones if you ask too late. Although," she said, looking away as a thought struck her, "as McGonagall's invited, that _would_ be a little hypocritical of her."

"McGonagall's invited!?" Harry and Ginny said, again in unison.

"Yeah," said Hermione, "And Dean, too."

"Dean?" said Harry after a pause. "Why Dean?"

"Well Dean _was_ in Dumbledore's Army. And we've known him forever. Would seem a bit weird not to invite him. Though, now that I think about it, it might be a bit weird for you guys having him there. How's that whole thing going, by the way?" Hermione replied.

Ginny looked at Harry a little apprehensively. "It's fine," she said finally, gauging Harry's reaction. "We're all friends now." She looked up at Hermione, smiling in what she hoped was a reassuring manner.

"Good," said Hermione, who had not, as Ginny had, observed the tightening of Harry's expression at Ginny's reply.

"So you'll both go ask today, right?" Hermione said firmly. "I'll be checking back in a few hours. I'd better go check what Ron's doing. You know, he likes the weirdest names. Have you both been brainstorming?"

"Oh, definitely," Ginny said.

"Well, I'll want to hear your suggestions _after_ you've asked McGonagall."

"Sure thing. Bye, Hermione," Ginny said.

"Bye." The mirror swam, then settled into black. The bristles grew back over it and Harry shoved it back under his pillow.

"Okay, Harry," Ginny turned to Harry, face serious. "What's bugging you?"

"What do you mean?"

"You didn't look happy when I told Hermione that we're friends with Dean. I thought you were okay with him now."

"Well, I am," he paused, Ginny looked at him skeptically. "But I'm not," he said finally. "I mean, seems like you forgave him pretty quickly. He said some really horrible things, Gin."

"I know that," Ginny said, "But it was sort of understandable, you know? And he's been really nice lately."

Harry frowned. "All right. If you say so. But Gin, he might not be as sincere as you think. I'm just a little uncomfortable with it, that's all."

"You don't forgive easily, do you?" Ginny said, smiling and kissing Harry on the forehead.

"No, I guess I don't," he admitted, smiling back after a moment.

"Shall we go ask McGonagall. I don't want to be empty-handed – metaphorically speaking – when Hermione checks back in."

"Neither do I. I think we'd be skinned alive," Harry said. "Poor, poor Ron."

Ginny laughed. "He brought this upon himself," she replied.

"You're not very forgiving either, are you?" Harry smiled.

"Nope." Ginny smiled back.

**o.o**

They made their way to McGonagall's office. Harry's dormitory was closer than Ginny's. So close, in fact, that when Harry told another hormonal-Hermione joke as they left his rooms, they were both still laughing when they got to the landing of the Headmistress' Office.

"Phew," Ginny exhaled. "Breathe in, breathe out. Got to get control."

"Can't be laughing when we ask McGonagall a favor."

Ginny shook herself, straightened her face. "All right. Ready?"

Harry grinned. "Ready."

Ginny knocked. No answer. "Maybe she's not here," she said after a few moments.

"Knock again.

"Okay." Ginny knocked.

But then they both heard voices filter out from behind the door. "…seems perfectly reasonable," someone was saying. "But if you would like me to report that the Hogwarts Headmistress is being uncooperative…," the voice trailed back into obscurity.

"Oh my gosh," Ginny stepped away from the door. "She's in a meeting," she said, lowering her voice.

"Let's go," Harry said quickly, grabbing her hand.

Just then they heard footsteps approaching the door. Ginny squeezed Harry's hand, pulled him back onto the landing. If someone was about to open the door, she didn't want it to look as though they were fleeing the scene of a prank-knock. Ginny remembered Fred and George's amateur pranking days – they had often knocked on doors and run away, leaving the room's inhabitant to stare about in confusion. Confusion and then anger.

"Professor Potter!" McGonagall's said as she peered out from the doorway. "Just who _we_," she put strange emphasis on the word, "wanted to see." The Headmistress did not look happy. She opened the door further, spotted Ginny. "Oh – and Professor Weasley. What a surprise."

There was an awkward pause. Ginny broke the silence. "We'll come back later, Professor, if you're in the middle of something…."

"No, no, Professor Weasley. You will come in now. Both of you."

Ginny and Harry glanced at eachother, both equally alarmed. Ginny dropped Harry's hand, went through the door first.

And almost groaned aloud. Sitting in the armchair before McGonagall's desk was Cho. Ginny resisted the urge to roll her eyes – she had hoped she could a avoid Cho now that her evaluation was over – but no. It was just her luck.

She felt Harry do a double-take as he entered the room behind her. "Cho!" he actually exclaimed. "What are you…." Ginny looked at Harry. He looked more alarmed than ever.

"Please sit, Professors," McGonagall said. Her voice was harsh – harsher than usual. Ginny would have hazarded a guess that McGonagall's meeting with Cho had not been going well.

"Miss Chang has a request," McGonagall said finally, walking back behind her desk and raising her eyebrows at Cho.

Cho creased her forehead. "I would appreciate it if we didn't make this sound like my own personal request. It's a Ministry necessity, plain and sim…."

"Right," McGonagall interrupted, "But you _are_ the one that's requesting, so it _is_, in fact, your request. I would appreciate if you would present it."

"The _Ministry_," Cho heavily emphasized the word, "is necessitating meetings between myself and Professor Potter."

Another awkward pause. "Meetings?" Ginny said, not able to keep the shock off her face.

Cho ignored Ginny. She kept her gaze squarely on Harry. She didn't even look at Ginny.

"Because education in the Defense Against the Dark Arts department has been…disjointed in the past," she continued, "I…the Ministry thinks it appropriate that I have meetings with Professor Potter before observing his class."

"Meetings about _what_ exactly?" Ginny blurted out again. She caught a warning look from McGonagall, softened her tone. "Meetings about what?"

Again, Cho spoke to Harry. "_Private _meetings," Ginny didn't like the way she emphasized 'private', "to discuss how Professor Potter will the bridging the _very_ large gap in the students' Defense education. The changing teachers, changing curriculums…how Har…Professor Potter plans on repairing the damage."

Ginny glanced at McGonagall. The Headmistress did not look happy.

"How often…would these meetings take place?" Harry said. His tone was impossible to read.

"No set schedule," Cho replied. "I don't know how many meetings I will need to get a good idea of Professor Potter's plans."

"Wow…," muttered Ginny under her breath. She could feel anger rising in her throat. "This is ridiculous."

Finally, Cho turned to Ginny. "What was that, Miss Weasley?"

"I said," Ginny replied, her voice rising, "that this whole thing is just an excuse for…."

"Professor Weasley," McGonagall said sharply. "Speak with me outside, please."

Ginny exhaled, swallowed the words that had been about to leave her lips. She got up. She looked at Harry, but he was looking away.

As the office door closed behind them, McGonagall spoke, her voice low, but each syllable harsh and hard. "You were about to say something you would likely regret, Miss Weasley."

Ginny kept her voice low too, though she was aching to yell. "You can't be serious! _She_ can't be serious! Private meetings whenever she wants them!? This is no Ministry 'necessity' – it's an excuse for her to get Harry alone and…and…." She couldn't say it.

"And what, Miss Weasley? Seduce him?" McGonagall let out a low, almost derisive laugh. "I thought you knew Harry Potter better than that."

"I _do_!" Ginny said, suddenly very, very angry at the woman before her, but she couldn't think of anything else to say. She _did_ know Harry better than that. She knew he wasn't the type of guy that would drop everything at the sight of a pretty girl. Or a beautiful girl. Or a sexy girl. He was stronger than that…wasn't he? "Look, Professor, you knew I'd react like this. Why did you ask me to come in if you _knew_ what she was going to say?"

McGonagall's voice softened. "Because, Ginny," her use of the first name stopped Ginny in her tracks. "I knew _exactly_ how you would react and I wanted you to do it here, where I could stop you from saying exactly what you were about to say in there. You don't want to say something you'll regret."

"Right," Ginny said finally. The anger was quickly receding. She smiled, "but I'm not going back in there." She gestured to the office door.

McGonagall stepped back, tucked a piece of hair back into her bun. "Good, Professor Weasley. Remember what I said," she added.

Ginny nodded, started back down the stairs. On the way back to her rooms, she stopped at Harry's. She whispered the spell Harry had told her earlier – the defensive charms drew back. She went in, grabbed the mirror from beneath his pillow, and left.

**o.o**

Back in her own dormitory, she lay back on her bed. She whispered a spell. The mirror vibrated for a moment, then the bristles drew back to reveal the mirror. Sounds preceded the picture out of the mirror.

"Hermione, how the bloody hell do you answer this thing?" Ron was saying.

"Oh, give me it!" Hermione sighed. There was some bustling, then Hermione's face came into focus. Ron was standing behind her. His chin was on her shoulder, much as Ginny's chin had been on Harry's shoulder just half an hour ago.

"Did you ask?" Hermione said.

"Not yet," Ginny said. She had completely forgotten about the original purpose of visiting McGonagall.

"Well, why…what's wrong?" Hermione said, her voice filling with frantic concern – near panic – as she took in the look on Ginny's face.

"What? What's happened?" Ron, who was a little less adept at reading expressions than his fiancé, said in confusion.

"Nothing," Ginny said quickly. "Can I talk to Hermione?"

For once, Ron didn't ask questions. "Sure," he said, getting up and walking out of the mirror's sight. Ginny heard a door close.

"He's left," Hermione said finally, drawing her wand and placing a sound barrier on the door. "Now what's wrong, Ginny," she said, all harshness gone from her voice.

"It's Cho."

"Yeah," Hermione said slowly. "We heard that she'd been appointed a Ministry Rep for Hogwarts."

Ginny nodded.

"Oh my God, Ginny!" Hermione said, shock covering a face, "Harry didn't…!

"No!" Ginny said quickly. "Nothing like that."

"Oh, good," Hermione said, putting a hand to her chest. "I thought you were about to say that Harry had…."

"But you think it's a possibility, though?" Ginny said. Why had Hermione jumped to that conclusion so quickly? Did she think Harry was so easily capable of cheating on his girlfriend?

"No! Oh, no!" Hermione said quickly. "No! But the look on your face…."

"Well, Cho's been trying to get Harry to…you know. I've tried not to be jealous, I really have," Ginny said in a rush. "But God, Hermione, she's beautiful and I just don't know what…and now she's asked for private meetings with Harry…and…," the words flooded out.

"Ginny!" Hermione interrupted. She lowered her voice. "You know Harry loves you, don't you?"

"I know he likes me, yeah. And we're dating. And he's such a good guy that I don't even know why I'm…."

"No, Ginny, that's not what I mean. I mean, he _loves_ you. Always has, Ginny. An ex-girlfriend that he didn't even get along with that well when they were dating is not going to make him forget you. Do you understand me?"

"He only said he loved me years and years ago. Things are different now. We haven't said…."

"Oh, Ginny, how can you be so _dense_!? So he hasn't explicitly stated it yet. He _feels _it _right now_, which is what's important. Everyone else can _see_ that he feels it. Your mom is friggin' _waiting_ for him to propose to you."

Ginny didn't know what to say to that. "Ask her not to hold her breath, will you?"

Hermione grinned. "Okay, Gin, whatever you say. Just don't worry about Cho, okay? Unless you find the two of them in bed together, I don't want to hear any more about it. Don't get your wand in a knot over wind and air."

Ginny smiled weakly, nodded.

"Okay," Hermione said finally. "Now, I want to hear your baby name suggestions. And they better be good. Can you believe Ron wanted to name the kid Wingardium? After the first spell I taught him when we sat together in Charms in First Year? He said it had 'historical significance'. Apparently he forgot that he made fun of me afterwards and I ended up crying in a bathroom and almost getting clubbed by a bloody mountain troll. I told him if he wanted significant, we could name the baby Idiot, after its father."

And Ginny couldn't help laughing.

**o.o**

**A/N: So, what did you think? Review and let me know! But see? I'm still doing well at reforming my updating habits, right? Anyway, I'm going to try to update again before school starts. Because once school starts again, I'll only be able to write on weekends, so you'll probably have to wait up to two weeks between updates.**

**The next chap. will be interesting. Hogsmeade, Harry and Ginny's first fight….**

**Again, PLEASE REVIEW! I'm nearly at 300 reviews – SO EXCITING!**


	22. Betrayal

**A/N: Be prepared for a shock at the end. And a cliff…sort of…**

**Chapter 22**

**Betrayal**

Ginny sat in her classroom, staring blankly at the back wall. She had a lump the size of an orange in her throat. Luckily, she had set her students a very difficult group problem at the very beginning of the class, so no one had yet noticed that Ginny Weasley hadn't spoken for precisely 54 minutes. But that didn't mean she wasn't thinking.

Precisely 44 minutes ago, Cho's first _private_ meeting with Harry had begun. And if Ginny could have had her way, precisely 43 minutes ago the darn thing would have ended. But it hadn't. And Ginny knew that Cho and Harry were still closeted off somewhere because Harry hadn't shown up yet. She had, in what she hoped had been a completely nonchalant manner, asked him to come by her classroom as soon as the meeting wrapped up.

"Hey Harry," she had mentioned lightly over breakfast, "Do you think we ought to do another lecture together? The last one was pretty successful."

Harry had smiled and nodded so quickly it seemed he'd been waiting for her to ask. She had raised her eyebrows.

"So eager?" she had teased.

Harry cleared his throat. "What I mean is, it was pretty successful for _you_, wasn't it?"

"What's that supposed to mean?" she challenged.

"Well the Defense bit managed to keep your students awake during the thing, didn't it?"

She slapped him on the arm. Rather hard. "What are you implying?" she grinned.

"Well," he said wearily, rolling his eyes heavenward, "Charms _is_ the most God-awfully boring subject on the face of the earth."

"Oh? So now you're insulting my subject, are you?" she said, wracking her brain for a suitable comeback. There really wasn't one, frankly. "Well, at least Charms is happy!" she finished lamely.

"Happy?" Harry said skeptically, not fully managing to transform his incredulous snort into a cough.

"Yes," Ginny said firmly, deciding it was best to stick with her guns, albeit her lame ones, "happy. The word 'Charms' conjures images of happy golden birdies and feather beds. Defense Against the Dark Arts, on the other hand, is just plain…." She paused, struggling for the right word.

"Dark?" Harry supplied.

"Exactly," Ginny said, folding her arms in triumph.

Then they both burst out laughing.

"Anyway," Ginny had said after she had recovered herself, "Let's work on it later today."

"I've got my meeting with Cho," Harry said slowly, not sure whether or not he was falling into a trap.

"I know," Ginny said, her voice as light as she could make it, "But after that. Come by my class right after and we can start."

"Haven't you got a class then? The meeting's at two."

"Yeah, but they're working on group projects today. I'll have nothing to do."

"All right, then. I'll be there directly after the stupid meeting finishes up."

"Thank you," Ginny said, leaning in to kiss Harry on the cheek. She appreciated that he was willing to come by, and she doubly appreciated that he'd called the meeting stupid.

And so it was that Ginny Weasley sat with an orange in her throat at 2:44 on a chilly late-February afternoon. In an effort to distract herself, Ginny retrieved a pile of papers from her drawer. She took out Hermione' s grading pen, wrote out the rubric, placed the pen on the first page, and sat back. So. That had occupied her for approximately two minutes.

"I am going _so_ insane," Ginny said to herself, rolling her eyes to the ceiling. Taking a deep breath, Ginny stood up.

"Anyone need any help?" she called out. Immediately, five groups raised their hands. She must have been really glazed over, she thought, or they wouldn't have been afraid to go up and ask. This whole thing was affecting her teaching. She needed to get over herself.

She shook herself a little, clearing her head, then walked over to the first group, a smile firmly planted on her face.

o.o

Ginny did better than she had expected herself to. She didn't wonder where Harry was for the entire rest of the class. Then the clock finally struck 3 o'clock and the students began filing out. "Don't forget – Hogsmeade tomorrow! Make sure you have your permission slips!"

When the last student had left, Ginny found herself out of distractions. She returned to her desk, sat back in her chair. She was determined not to think about Harry.

She retrieved yet another stack of papers from the desk. Wow, she did have a lot of papers, she thought. She should listen to Harry – no assigning papers she didn't want to grade. Damn! She'd just thought about Harry. There was no avoiding it, then. She had to let the thoughts trickle out in their own time. When the clock struck four, Ginny felt anger beginning to rise in her throat.

Harry was late. Very late. It had been two hours since that meeting started. No staff meeting _she _had ever heard of had gone for two hours. On the one hand, Cho was probably behind this. On the other, Harry _knew_ how Ginny would be feeling right now. Couldn't he have said he needed to go to the bathroom and come to tell her how horrible the whole thing was. Didn't he know that was what she needed? Two flippin' hours!

Just then, the door opened and Harry walked in. Ginny glanced up, then looked back down to her papers, her lips set a grim line. "Have fun?" she said maliciously as Harry came over to the desk.

Harry didn't seem to catch the cattiness that she hadn't been able to hide. "Phew, I'm _so_ worn out."

Ginny raised her eyebrows, still not looking up from the papers. "That _much_ fun, eh?" she said, purposefully misinterpreting his meaning.

Harry caught the harshness of her tone this time around. "That's not what I meant," he said cautiously.

"Well, what _did_ you mean, Harry?" There was an anger that had been building up. She had to let it out.

"I just mean that meeting went a little long," he said, beginning to sound a little annoyed himself.

"Yeah," Ginny muttered, "I noticed."

"Um…." Harry seemed genuinely irritated now. "Yeah, I'm sure you did."

"Thanks for letting me know you'd be a while, by the way."

"Well, I was a little tied up. I mean, with the meeting and all. What did you want me to do, owl you?" Harry said, his voice rising to match Ginny's.

"Yeah, Harry," she said, finally looking up, "an owl would have been nice. Just to let me know you hadn't forgotten about me."

"What the hell, Ginny? It was two hours! Not five years!" Harry backed away from the desk a little.

Even as she spoke, Ginny didn't know what she was doing. It just came over her. The antagonism, that is. "Did you even think, Harry, for just one second, that it might be _tough_ for me. Knowing that you were in some empty classroom completely alone with Cho?"

"Of course I thought that, Ginny, but what did you want me to do?"

"I don't know, Harry! I had hoped you'd think of something! Refuse to go to the meetings! Call it off after ten minutes. Anything!"

"Well I'm sorry I didn't do any of those things, Ginny!" he said, voice laced with sarcasm. "But those are ridiculous! How can you expect me to…." he stopped. He shook his head wearily, turned. "I'll see you later, Ginny," he said slowly. Then he left.

o.o

Ginny's frustration boiled over in tears that night. She lay on her side, staring at the wall, letting herself cry all the stupid anger out. Her eyes were considerably puffier than normal the next morning. She showered, magicked away the swelling, dressed. She was a Hogsmeade chaperone. She looked out the window. Snow was falling, it would probably be the last snow this season.

She had been looking forward to spending a whole day around Hogsmeade with Harry. Before falling asleep last night, Ginny had decided that she had to apologize to Harry. She _had_ been pretty horrible yesterday.

Ginny hoped she could catch Harry before they went into Hogsmeade. She pulled her heaviest cloak over her shoulders and threw a scarf around her neck before pulling open the door. She stepped back in surprise; Dean was on the other side, his hand poised to knock.

"Dean! You're always scaring me."

"Hey, Gin," Dean said, caught off guard as well. After a moment of awkward silence, Dean seemed to remember what he was there for. He shook himself. "Erm…I'm going to go down to the Quidditch pitch for a quick flight while everyone's at Hogsmeade. I think you borrowed my Quaffle a few months ago, and I never really…."

"Oh, right!" Ginny said, turning back into the room. "Here, come in, I've got to look for it." Dean stepped in, but he didn't close the door. There was silence as Ginny rummaged through her trunk.

"You chaperoning Hogsmeade?"

"Yeah," she said, gesturing to her layers of clothing. "All bundled up."

"I see that," Dean laughed. "I wanted to go, but I figure someone's got to hold up the fort while everyone's off galavanting."

"Good point," Ginny said absentmindedly. "By the way," she said, without really thinking, "have you seen Harry around. I have to talk to him."

Ginny regretted mentioning Harry as soon as the words were out of her mouth. Even though Dean had made every effort to assure Ginny that he was okay about the whole Harry thing, it would probably still have been better not to bring it up.

"I saw him talking to Cho earlier," Dean said easily. Ginny tensed. "Probably some private meeting follow-up or something," he added hastily.

"You know about the private meetings?" Ginny said, straightening with the Quaffle in her hands.

"Well, pretty much everyone knows," Dean said, shifting a little uncomfortably. "It's pretty unconventional. Shocking, really."

"Mmm," Ginny said uncommitingly, passing the Quaffle to Dean.

Concern passed over Dean's face. "How are you holding up?" he said softly, "You know, with Cho and everything."

"Not very well," Ginny admitted. "That's what I've got to talk to Harry about. I've been being paranoid." She didn't really know why she was telling Dean this. She stopped abruptly.

"Anyway," Dean said quickly, seeming to sense how tense she was. "Have fun at Hogsmeade. I'll see you later." And he left.

o.o

"Have a nice time, Miss Grover," Ginny said, making a neat little check mark on her list. "And last but not least, Mr. Handworth," she said, making her final check mark. Responsible for checking in and out the A-through-H's, Ginny sent the clipboard zooming back to McGonagall's Office. She pulled her cloak tighter around herself and headed out of the castle grounds.

In the chaos of students that had crowded the entrance hall earlier, she hadn't been able to find Harry. She'd just have to find him in Hogsmeade.

She loved snow, she decided as she wandered amongst the busy shops. Today's was a nice halfway snow – part compacted, part soft and new. It crunched ever so slightly upon first contact, then sank to just the right depth beneath her boots.

She kept a lookout for Harry. She needed to apologize; that was the only way she was going to feel any better. She had to let him know she felt really bad about the things she'd said.

"Professor Binns!" she exclaimed as she nearly walked through her colleague.

"Watch out, Miss Weasley. I don't want to knock you over!" he said in his usual monotone, though it _did_ seem a tad more lively than usual. Holiday spirit – go figure. Ginny was about to explain to the ghostly professor that it was hardly likely he was going to be knocking _anyone_ over anytime soon, but she held her tongue.

Instead, she asked, "Professor, have you seen Professor Potter anywhere?"

"I think I saw him somewhere round The Hog's Head a few moments ago. I'd search that general vicinity if I were you."

"Thanks, Professor," Ginny said, carefully walking around Binns and farther down the lane.

Harry wasn't in The Hog's Head. She doubled back and tried the Three Broomsticks, which seemed the next most likely. He wasn't there either. She started back to the Hog's Head, peering into various likely shops as she returned meanderingly to the back side of Hogsmeade.

Ginny didn't really know what possessed her to circle to the back of The Hog's Head. She'd never been back there before. Perhaps it was a mixture of curiosity and boredom.

But either way, there was Harry, his face outlined by a shaft a light that fell into the shadows. Ginny took a deep breath, geared herself up to make her apology. She ran through the words she'd rehearsed as she stepped forward.

As she drew closer, she saw Cho, whose dark hair and robes had blended her into the wall from afar. Cho and Harry were speaking, but the wind was whistling round Ginny's ears and she couldn't quite catch what they were saying.

Then Cho reached her hand toward Harry. And Ginny stopped in her tracks. Because Cho had brushed Harry's cheek with her hand. Cho reached farther up and ran a hand through Harry's tousled jet-black hair. Ginny turned away, not wanting to see what she knew was about to happen.

As she ran back down the alley, her feet crunched in the snow. Ginny heard Harry turn towards her.

"Ginny, what are you…."

But Ginny kept going; she was running through the snow now, wind whipping against her face and making her eyes water. She didn't answer Harry's call, because she was pretty sure she'd stopped breathing.

**A/N: Shocked? Awed? Incredulous? In my opinion this chapter turned out alittle angsty and strange. Not just the end - the chapter in general. What do you think? The beginning of school has been crazy, that's why I'm late in updating, but I **_**did**_** say every other week, so technically I'm only…a whole week late. Oh, alright, I'll admit I've been keeping you waiting much too long. Anyway, expect another chapter within two weeks. For now, REVIEW please!**


	23. Just Let Go

**So here it is. Prepare yourself for yelling.**

**Chapter 23**

**Just Let Go**

_Then Cho reached her hand toward Harry. And Ginny stopped in her tracks. Because Cho had brushed Harry's cheek with her hand. Cho reached farther up and ran a hand through Harry's tousled jet-black hair. Ginny turned away, not wanting to see what she knew was about to happen._

_As she ran back down the alley, her feet crunched in the snow. Ginny heard Harry turn towards her._

"_Ginny, what are you…."_

_But Ginny kept going; she was running through the snow now, wind whipping against her face and making her eyes water. She didn't answer Harry's call, because she was pretty sure she'd stopped breathing._

o.o

Ginny was having trouble thinking clearly. She realized that she was actually consciously forcing herself to keep breathing. It was actually an effort. She hadn't thought that was possible.

As she passed into the more populated area of Hogsmeade, she slowed to a brisk walk. Her eyes were remarkably dry. Then again, shock was the dominant emotion here. She passed into Hogwarts. Everything was a blur as she ran up three flights of stairs and glided through the halls. And she found herself at the door of Dean's classroom.

She wondered for a split second what she was doing there. But she realized she needed an outlet. Hermione wouldn't understand. She had made it clear that she would never believe Harry capable of _that_. And Dean had been so nice lately…. She opened the door.

"Ginny!" Dean said, smiling in surprise. "Didn't expect you guys back so early." Then he did a double-take. "What's wrong," he said quickly, standing up and walking to her side. "Is there something…." Ginny saw him reach for his wand.

"Don't, Dean," she said, catching hold of his wand arm. "Nothing like that." Dean visibly relaxed.

"Sorry," he said, "But you look like you've seen a Dementor. Or worse."

"Worse," Ginny couldn't help muttering. "A Dementor I can handle." Things were beginning to penetrate her shock. Dean's broomstick was on the floor. He had obviously been in the process of polishing it. And he'd just gotten back from the pitch, because his Quidditch robes were strewn on the floor and he was wearing just a t-shirt and jeans.

"What happened?" Dean said, taking her by the shoulder and steering her into an armchair. "Talk. Go."

Ginny smiled a little at Dean's methods. But she had been surrounded by boys all her life, and this was the way most of them – at least, her brothers - had handled things. Direct and to the point. It could be good or bad, depending. But now it was good. She needed to get it out without interruption. And then she needed straightforward opinions. No mishy-mashy sympathetic exaggerations.

She exhaled deeply. The room began to blur again as she started to speak.

"Harry's cheating on me," she said bluntly. Dean looked at her blankly for a moment. Then he sank back onto his bed and exhaled.

"With Cho," Ginny added. She felt a sudden rush of affection for Dean as he didn't say 'I told you so'. He was looking up at her, face grim.

"I saw them together outside The Hog's Head," she said matter-of-factly, looking straight into Dean's face. "And God only knows what they've been doing for weeks. And at the private conferences." She paused. Suddenly emotions were rushing through her.

"God I was such an _idiot_. I saw it, but I didn't want to believe it." She looked down now, inexplicably and utterly unable to meet Dean's gaze. And very suddenly she was angry.

"And can you believe I was beating myself up over this. Thinking _I_ was the one being the bad person, sabotaging our relationship. I thought it was _me_. And he _let me_ think it was me! How dare he? Where the hell does he get off doing that to me and then making me think I was just being paranoid?"

She stopped, unable to continue, anger too far into her throat to allow her to speak. And then Dean spoke.

"Why did you run?"

Ginny was caught off guard. "What do you mean I ran?"

"I mean you ran," Dean said. He paused, then, "You saw them, and you ran."

"What makes you think I did that?" Ginny challenged.

"Well," Dean said easily, "You've been here for a while, and Harry has neither stormed in nor been carted off to the hospital wing."

"How do you know he hasn't been carted off to the hospital wing?" Ginny challenged again.

"Oh, come on," Dean smiled back, "this is Harry Potter we're talking about. Someone attacks him, everyone will think Voldemort's returns. And then the world bursts into flames." Ginny thought she sensed some level of resentment in Dean's voice. Resentment he had been unable to mask behind the lightheartedness of his comment.

"Well?" Dean said after several moments. "Why did you run?"

Ginny looked at him. His voice and stare were unaccusing. Finally, she spoke. "I couldn't," she breathed, "I just couldn't even look at them anymore."

Dean nodded slowly. "It just doesn't seem like you, Ginny. I would have expected Harry to be cursed into oblivion by now."

"I know," Ginny said. "I normally _would_ have cursed the cheating bastard into oblivion," she added after several moments, "but things are…_different_ with Harry. I don't act the way I 'normally' would." Ginny couldn't believe that she was telling all this to her ex-boyfriend. Her relationships were irrevocably twisted, she concluded.

But Dean took this comment surprisingly well, considering the circumstances.

"For the record, Harry's an idiot." he said finally.

Ginny looked at Dean. She rolled her eyes. "Thanks Dean, but you can say it."

"Say what?" Dean asked, smiling a little.

"Oh, come on. Just say it," Ginny smiled back.

"Just say 'I told you so' already," she grinned.

"I wasn't going to say anything like…."

"Oh, come off it. You were; you definitely wanted to."

"No, I wasn't!" Dean laughed.

"You're _such_ a terrible liar!" Ginny snorted, rolling her eyes.

There was a pause in which their expressions shifted away from the momentary lightheartedness.

"Do you want a drink?" Dean said finally.

Ginny considered. She didn't usually drink, but she considered this a special occasion. "Yeah," she said.

"Firewhiskey?"

"That would be great right now."

Dean conjured two bottles of Firewhiskey from some cool recess of his dormitory. Dean caught the bottles, reached for his wand to pop off the tops. And as he flicked his wand at the first bottle, a spray of whiskey spattered onto his white t-shirt.

"Damn," he said under his breath. "I'm always doing that."

Ginny snorted. "Can you take these?" Dean added, nodding his head toward the bottles.

Ginny took the bottles, set them on the floor next to her chair. Dean was reaching for his wand; she launched out of her chair and grabbed his wrist. "Don't you dare try to charm that stain off."

Dean looked bewildered. "Why?"

"Well, it won't come out and your shirt will probably burst into flames."

"What?" Dean said, setting his wand gingerly onto the bed.

"Yeah, it's funny when barmaids light the bar counters on fire when someone's spilled…it's another when the whiskey's near _someone's_," she looked pointedly at Dean, "vital organs."

"I didn't know they lit bar counters on fire."

"I didn't either. Until I did a little research when Fred and George nearly blew up our house when they tried to get their pilfering little fingers on some of Dad's whiskey."

Dean couldn't help but laugh at the picture. Ginny smiled fondly at the memory.

"Where are your towels?" Ginny she said after a brief moment of silent reverie. Dean gestured toward a wardrobe in the corner. "You notice I'm refraining from making a sarcastic comment," Ginny added, grinning.

"I _did_ notice," Dean smiled back.

"Good, because you should appreciate it."

"Which I totally do," Dean said assuringly.

"So go change and then we'll charm off the stain in a less hazardous manner."

"Okay," Dean said obediently, grabbing a clean shirt out of a pile on the floor.

Ginny sat back in her chair, grabbed the open bottle of whiskey and took a sip. For a moment there, just a moment, she'd forgotten about Harry. But it all came rushing back now. She felt a sudden urge to go back to the Hog's Head. She felt the need to yell and probably hex and curse. Dean's questioning had hit a nerve. Just then, there was a knock on the door. She opened it without really thinking, scenes of herself storming in upon Harry and Cho still playing in her mind.

"Dean, I'm looking for…Ginny!"

Ginny cleared her throat. "Harry," she said. She took in the sign of his windblown face and tousled hair, and she slapped him across the face.

He reeled back. Ginny wondered vaguely how he could be surprised. She stared straight at him as he recovered from the shock, bright pink spreading over his cheek. Her heart was pounding again, but she refused to allow herself to look away.

"I probably should have expected that," he said finally. There was a pause. Ginny couldn't speak. Anger was welling in her throat and her hand was burning from collision with Harry's face. "Look Ginny," Harry said, "I know what you think you saw, but…."

"What I _think_ I saw?" Ginny said, her voice low and dangerous.

"It wasn't what you thought," Harry said quickly.

"I can't believe you," Ginny said, her voice rising a little. "You're still trying to get out of this!"

"I'm not trying to get out of anything!" Harry said, "But it wasn't what you think!"

"Sure it wasn't, Harry," Ginny replied. She felt her anger rising and she just wasn't ready to say the things she knew she was about to say. "Get out of here, Harry," she said finally. "I can't talk to you right now."

Harry, obviously confused and frustrated, misinterpreted her words. "What could be more important than letting me explain to you…."

Just then, Dean's voice called out from behind the bathroom door. "Ginny, can you grab me a different shirt? I forgot this one had a huge hole in the front."

Ginny turned to Harry, who looked back at her. His gaze flickered from the bathroom door to the Firewhiskey bottle still in Ginny's hand and finally to Dean's Quidditch robes strewn haphazardly on the floor. A look of disbelief and then understanding moved over his face. "Oh," he said, "I get it."

He turned and walked away. And Ginny followed.

"No, Harry!" she called after him, her anger obvious now as she ran after him and caught him by the arm. "No, _you_ don't get to be mad!"

"Really? Because, I've got to admit, I didn't get the memo!"

"You're the one who was with Cho remember? By the Hog's Head?" she challenged.

He spun to face her. "I'm pretty sure what I did was pretty mild compared to what you just did, or were about to do!" He was yelling now, as she'd never heard him yell before.

"And what exactly was it you think I was about to do, Harry?" Ginny said back, her voice matching his.

"Alcohol? Strewn clothes? Shirtless Dean? What do you think, Ginny? Because it's pretty obvious to me."

"What!?" Ginny said, barely able to keep herself from slapping him again. "Dean spilled Firewhiskey on his bloody shirt and the first thing you think is sex!?"

Harry fell silent. "That's right!" Ginny said, "And why do you think I was drinking Firewhiskey in the first place? Because I bloody saw you out there in the snow, Harry! So explain that one to me!" There was a long pause.

"Ginny, I'm sorry I accused you of…," Harry said slowly, his voice soft.

"You know what, I don't even want to hear it." She turned to walk away, but this time, he grabbed her by the arm. "Let go of me," she said dangerously.

"Just hear me out, Gin," Harry said. His voice was pleading. She stopped. "You walked in on just the wrong moment," Harry said, seeming to choose his words carefully. Ginny stared up at him, her eyes still bitterly accusing. "Cho said I had something in my hair, she brushed it off, and next thing I know you're running off thinking God knows what."

Ginny was silent now. She took in his words. His eyes seemed truthful; Harry had never been a good liar. But she couldn't be sure. "Just let go, Harry," she said, looking down at where his hand held her arm. He released his grip, which hadn't been very tight in the first place. She could have broken free if she'd wanted to.

And Ginny walked away down the hall, leaving Harry staring after her.

**o.o**

**There. Hope you enjoyed it. The wait was long because school is like one big explosive I have to diffuse. Anyway, next chapter should be up sooooon. I'm now writing those chapters that I've had in my head from the beginning of this story, so I've already got the general plot down. REVIEW, REVIEW, REVIEW! Peace out!**


	24. One Thousand Ninety Three

**A/N: Here it is! Sorry for the wait, but I hope this'll make up for it. At least a little…**

**Chapter 24**

**One Thousand Ninety Three**

Soot and dust swirled around Ginny, clogging her nose and eyes, filling her mouth. Frankly, she was glad of the distraction. Coughing and spewing left her little time for contemplation of the conversation she and Harry had just had. She glimpsed snatches of light from fireplaces along her route and finally she felt a thump as the Floo Network disgorged her.

"What…in the bloody hell…Hermione, stand back!" She heard Ron's voice, but couldn't see him just yet.

"Ron, don't! It's Ginny!" Hermione's voice this time. Her voice was panicked; obviously Ron was about to throw a curse.

Ginny rolled a little to the left. A mild binding charm missed her by a few inches. Ginny thought that next time she'd have to dodge a bit farther off. Ron's aim had obviously improved while he was off fighting Death Eaters. Ginny wondered briefly why any of this was crossing her mind.

"Jesus, Ginny! Did I hit you?" Ron ran up to her, grasped her firmly by the shoulder and pulled her up.

"With that spell?" Ginny said, her voice quaking a little, though it had nothing to do with being nearly cursed. "I'd hardly notice even if it _did_ hit me."

Her voice softened as the cloud around her began to clear and she made out the panic and concern in her brother's face. "No, you didn't hit me. See? No scratches."

Ron didn't look a bit relieved, and he hadn't lowered his wand yet. "What happened? Is someone hurt?"

Ginny rubbed at her eyes, clearing away the last of the dust. Hermione was now at her right shoulder. Her wand was out as well and gripped tightly in her right hand. Instincts gained from three years in danger, Ginny supposed.

"No," Ginny said, "no one's hurt. I'm here for…personal stuff."

There was a moment of silence. "Personal stuff?" Ron said finally. "As in, you've remembered some things you left here last time or…"

"Yes, Ron, that's definitely it. I've left my Pygmy Puff Name Book here and can't live without it!" Ginny snapped.

"Touchy, touchy," Ron said, shoving his wand back into his pocket. "So, out with it. Did I just nearly hex you for no reason?"

Ginny didn't reply. Her mind was racing. She had floo'd here on impulse. Did she really want to tell the story all over again? Did she really want to relive the whole thing? The stomach-sinking feeling every time she pictured Harry standing in the snow? And now, the added humiliation of knowing that she might be wrong. Wrong about the whole thing. Did she want to tolerate the idea that she might have misinterpreted - really and truly jumped to conclusions this time?

"Ginny?" Hermione said hesitantly.

"I need an honest answer from you. Both of you," Ginny said finally, looking up to meet their eyes.

Ron and Hermione exchanged a look. "Yeah, sure," Ron said, attempting a smile to lighten the mood, but receiving only a glare from Hermione in return.

"And no matter how much you think the answer will hurt me. Promise you'll tell me," Ginny said, finding to her own dismay that not every part of her wanted them to promise that. It was her heart, mostly, that willed them to lie if it would hurt her.

"Ginny," Hermione said, grasping her by both shoulders. "We promise. What is it?"

"Would Harry ever cheat on me?"

There was a long moment of silence. Ron gaped at Ginny. Hermione was less surprised, having been slightly more prepared for such a question from their conversation a few weeks ago. Ginny let the silence hang, giving them time to think. Even if her heart didn't, her brain wanted an honest answer. She _was not_ going to be one of those girls that turned a blind eye. Her mother, her father, even her brothers, had raised her better than that.

"Would Harry…." Ron repeated. "Would Harry _what_!?" he said, his voice rising.

"Cheat on me," Ginny said calmly.

Ron was still staring at her blankly. Ginny, serious as she was, couldn't help rolling her eyes. Old habits die hard.

"You know," she said wearily, "when a boy and a girl are dating and the boy decides to go have it off with someone else in a broom cupboard or whatever…."

"I _know_ what cheating is, thank you very much," Ron returned, "I just never thought I'd here it connected to certain names."

"Sit down, Ginny," Hermione said softly, tightening her grip on Ginny's shoulders and guiding her to the couch.

"Where's Mum?" Ginny said, having a sudden image of her mother rounding the corner with a steak knife, ready to cut Harry into small pieces. If it turned out Harry was cheating on her, Ginny would be damned if anyone but herself got _that_ satisfaction.

"Out visiting Mrs. Figg. Won't be back for at least an hour," Ron supplied.

Ginny relaxed a little, allowed herself to sink back into the couch. Hermione sat down beside her, her arm resting on her now very visibly pregnant stomach. Ron sat across from them on the edge of an armchair, leaning forward with his knees on his elbows.

"If Harry is cheating on you, Ginny," Ron began, red rising to the roots of his hair as he spoke, "I want you to know that I am behind _you_. Best friend or not, I will tear him limb from limb and then let Fred, George, Bill, Charlie, and Percy have a go at him. And then," he added, face completely serious, "Mum, which'll probably be the worst."

Ginny smiled a little. "Thanks for the sentiment, Ron."

"You're welcome," he said, "just thought I'd put that out there."

"Well, now that we've established _that_," Hermione said, glaring at Ron impatiently, "I want to answer your question."

Ginny sat up a little straighter. "Yeah," she said, steeling herself. Somehow, what Ron and Hermione said now was very, very important. If _they_ thought Harry could cheat on her - they who had gotten through thick and thin with him, stood up for him for years and years – if they thought he had cheated on Ginny, then he probably had.

"I don't think Harry would cheat on you. Ever."

Ginny raised her eyebrows. "You're trying to spare my feelings, aren't you?" she said.

"No!" Ron cut in quickly, "she's not. And I'm not either. Harry wouldn't, he _couldn't_."

Ginny scrutinized their faces for any hint of a cover-up. Hermione was grim, but she looked Ginny straight in the eye. Hermione had never once lied to her. Ron's face was more serious than she had ever seen it. Usually his expression contained a hint of sarcasm or a distance that told you he wasn't really paying attention. He looked more grown up now than she'd ever seen him.

"You say Harry _couldn't_ cheat on me," Ginny said slowly. "What does that mean?"

She saw Hermione glance at Ron. The two of them shared some secret conversation. Sometimes they just had a way of doing that – they looked at eachother and just _knew_ what the other was thinking. Ginny had a feeling it wasn't Legilimency. It was probably something deeper. Ron nodded almost imperceptibly.

Hermione took Ginny's shoulders again, turned her on the couch so they were facing eachother head on. Ron got up and came to the coffee table, sitting on its edge so he was closer to them. Ginny gulped.

"The reason Harry could never ever cheat on you, Ginny," Hermione began, speaking each word slowly as if she was choosing them with utmost care, "is because…."

"And don't ever tell him we've told you what we're about to tell you…." Ron cut in.

"He loves you."

"A lot," Ron added. Hermione glared at him. 'What?" he shrugged, "just thought I'd add that in for good measure. And it's true!"

Ginny resisted the urge to laugh. _That _was all they had had to say? All that buildup? The two of them were looking at her, as though expecting her to jump about or cry with joy. "Hermione," Ginny said slowly, "you told me that the last time we talked."

"But Ginny, I don't think you understa…," Hermione tried to interrupt.

"I know you probably _think_ Harry loves me," Ginny said quickly, "He's probably told you he cares for me or whatever, but hell I said I _loved _Michael Corner when we were dating. I've said I _love _Arnold the Pygmy Puff. And that kind of love doesn't say very much about what Harry can or cannot do to hurt me. That kind of love isn't going to stop him from doing anything. So that's not exactly solid evidence against his cheating on me," Ginny said with finality. She raised her eyebrows, just daring them to contradict that logic.

"Ginny," Ron said after a moment, "you are _so_ _dense_."

"I…what?" Ginny said, turning to face him.

"You're right about _that_ kind of love," Ron said, _his_ was the voice that was weary this time. "_That_ kind of love doesn't mean anything. But we're not talking about _that_ kind of love."

"We're talking about _real _love," Hermione continued. "As in, serious, true, real love. Romeo and Juliet. Jack and Rose. Cinderella and Prince Charming."

"Erm…who?" Ginny said.

Hermione rolled her eyes. "Nevermind. My Muggle romanticism kicking in. It doesn't matter. What matters is Harry has loved you for years."

"Yeah," Ginny cut in, "but my point is, _how much_?

In reply, Hermione whispered _accio_ under her breath, flicked her wand. Ginny heard something rustle overhead. A box, which Ginny vaguely recognized as having once contained a set of used school robes, floated down the stairs and came to rest in Hermione's hands. Hermione set the box between them and gestured to Ginny.

"This much. Open it."

Ginny's mind was racing. What was she going to find? For some reason, all she could think of was love potions. Or Ron's "my sweetheart" necklace from Lavender. She didn't quite know why. Something to do with all those girly Madame Puddifoot's notions of love, probably.

"Go on," Ron said, misinterpreting Ginny's hesitation as fear. Or maybe he wasn't misinterpreting. "Open it."

Ginny reached out apprehensively and took off the lid.

Inside the box, were envelopes.

Each one had obviously once been a clean cream color, but each one showed marks of damage. One looked scorched. Another was tinged a light blue. And on the front of each envelope were two words, scrawled there in a messy handwriting that Ginny recognized with a pang.

To Ginny

"We put these in here when we got back, and Harry swore us to secrecy. For the longest time while we were gone, he didn't think we knew he was writing them."

"Prat," Ron added, "What else he could have been doing with a quill and parchment is beyond me. Must've thought we were bloody idiots."

Ginny reached down and picked one up, turned it over gingerly in her hand. Her forefinger slipped under the flap. It wasn't sealed, but she hesitated before opening it.

"How many?" she said finally, unable to estimate. The box was full of letters.

"One thousand ninety-three," Ron said easily.

Ginny looked up sharply. "One for every day we were gone," Hermione explained.

"Minus two from when we were trapped in a…," he trailed off after a glare from Hermione. "Anyway, we're pretty sure he wrote extra long ones afterwards to make up for it."

Ginny looked back down at the letters. Her heart was beating hard in her chest, she could feel it pounding. "Every day…," she said softly.

"He obviously couldn't send them. But he kept them. And he just kept writing them. Every day for three years. And frankly," Ron said, a smile wide on his face, "we don't think he would have gone to all that trouble if he didn't love you more than you love Arnold the Pygmy Puff."

Ginny couldn't speak. She touched the envelope in her hand.

"You should read them, Ginny," Hermione said softly. "Maybe then you'll be convinced."

"Convinced of what?" Ginny said. She had lost track of where their conversation had been going.

"That Harry would never risk losing you over someone like Cho," Ron said, his voice serious again. He just _couldn't_."

"He'd probably die before he betrayed you, Ginny."

"Literally, keel over and die. Or stab himself or something."

"What Ron_ means_ is that he'd die for you, Ginny. Any day of the week. But he could probably say that better than either of us, so you should read the letters."

"Do you know what they say?" Ginny asked, glancing up.

"Nope," Hermione replied.

"But we've got an inkling," Ron winked.

"We'll just go have a bite to eat in the kitchen now," Hermione said easily, straightening up.

"Wouldn't you know it?" Ron said, back to his normal self, "Pregnant girls – always hungry." Hermione slapped him lightly, and he laughed.

And with that, they disappeared around the corner and into the kitchen, leaving Ginny alone with the box, the envelopes, and the letters.

Ginny took a deep breath. She flicked open the envelope, and pulled out a sheet of parchment. Scribbled writing filled the page. In the top corner was the date. It had been written six months before they'd returned. Ginny looked away for a moment. She wasn't sure Harry had ever meant for these words to be read. Then, holding the parchment in both hands, she began to read:

_Dear Ginny,_

_It was gray again today. Just one colourless, humourless expanse of nothing. Just gray. Pretty melodramatic, eh? In this kind of weather, you would expect Voldemort to come bursting out of the fog. Frankly, as long as he's wearing bright red robes, I'm okay with it. Would break the monotony a little. I'm just tired of the grayness. Actually, scratch that. Not bright red robes. That would remind me too much of hair (your hair, if you haven't guessed), which would probably be a tad bit distracting. Okay, _really_ distracting. Voldemort can wear hot pink robes, then. That settles it._

_Rereading my last paragraph, I'm pretty sure you think I've gone completely bonkers by now. But trust me, I haven't. Hermione and Ron are keeping me sane. And these letters. I know I've said this before, but it's nice to get my thoughts out. It's nice to think about your reactions to what I'm saying. It's nice to picture you laughing when I say (or write, as the case may be) something mildly amusing. It's nice to think that, if I was really telling you some of the things I've been writing, that you would put your arms around me. Maybe even give me a kiss on the cheek. Trust me, you can't get much more soothing than that._

_I guess what I'm trying to say is that I need you here with me, even when you're not actually here. I think a lot about the last time we were together. You know, before I left you crying in your room. I hope you didn't keep crying. I hope you stopped right away and fell asleep and dreamed. Preferably of me, but whatever. Sometimes I wonder if it wouldn't have been better to just take you along. Then you could actually be laughing at my mildly amusing comments, instead of me just imagining you doing it. But most of the time, I'm glad you're still safe at the Burrow. Because, you see, Ginny, it's nice to have a little bit of warmth in the world to imagine. If you were here, I'd see you every day and I'd know you were cold and unhappy and probably hating the grayness as much as me. But, with you home, I can imagine you in your room, with the sun streaming in, brushing your hair or doing your homework and biting on the end of your quill when you're thinking. I can imagine you at Hogwarts, nearly done with your Seventh Year. You're probably finishing your N.E.W.T.S. right now, and you're probably cursing the three of us for getting out of taking them. See? There _is_ some silver lining in the world._

_So even though I miss you (which I do, more than you can even imagine, Ginny, seriously)…a lot…I'm glad you're safe and sound and warm in the Burrow. I'm glad your bright hair is matching your Gryffindor scarf (it matches perfectly, did you know that?) instead of fading into all this grayness._

_And I'm glad for one more thing. I'm glad for it pretty much every day. I'm glad I didn't chicken out and run away or stare at you with a blank expression, which, I assure you, was every bit as much of a possibility as what I _did_ do. More even. I'm glad that, before I left, I got to hear you say you love me. Even if you don't anymore, even if you've decided I'm dead and not worth your time or that Dean's a better kisser, I'm glad I at least heard those words come out of your mouth. And I'm glad I said 'I love you' back. Because it's the truth. And, trust me, from the things I've seen, we definitely need a little more truth in the world._

_So, yeah, I love you. There it is. Again._

_Harry_

Ginny closed her eyes. A tear fell through her fingers as she tried to catch it and landed on the page. She folded the letter, slipped it into its envelope, and placed it back into the box. Among all the others.

**o.o**

**A/N: So what do you think? Again, I'm sorry for the long wait, but I hope the chapter was mildly worth it. Maybe? Please REVIEW and tell me what you thought! Too mushy? Not mushy enough? Just right? Plot suggestions? Complaints? I'm open to everything!**


	25. So Dead

**Chapter 25**

**So Dead**

Ginny sat back against the couch, one arm hugging herself across the chest, the hand of the other running a finger absentmindedly along her lip. The tears had stopped falling some time ago.

A part – a large part – of Ginny wanted desperately to read another letter, devour the whole box. But another part of her, a part lodged somewhere between her stomach and her chest, ached with a sort of guilt at the thought of opening another envelope. She had just read a letter in which the boy she had wanted to be with since before she could remember had poured out his heart and soul to her. But she had also recently accused that same boy of cheating on her. And she'd recently slapped him. Hard. Oh God, she'd slapped him.

Ginny had to take it all back. She had to set things right before she read another word from that box. Ginny didn't really know why, but she suddenly knew, really _understood_, that Harry had never been with Cho. It wasn't Cho's name he had written on one thousand ninety-three envelopes when he'd been lonely and ready to give up hope. It had been hers – Ginny's. And somehow, that was enough to put Ginny's mind at rest.

"Hermione? Ron? I have to go!" Ginny called. Her head spun a little as she stood up much more quickly than she ought to have. "I'm taking the letters!" she added, clutching the box protectively against her body as she stepped into the grate.

**o.o**

Ginny was, for the second time in one day, running as fast as she could through the halls of Hogwarts. It was a good thing everyone was still in Hogsmeade, she realized, because she must look completely crazy, sliding around corners and hurtling past paintings that yelled "No running in the halls!" as she passed. The difference from this morning, Ginny decided, was that this time around, she was aware of everything. Nothing was a blur; every colour in every tapestry jumped out at her as she ran by.

Ginny came to a stop at the door to Harry's dormitory. She swallowed down the sudden nervousness that clogged her throat and held the box of letters at her side. She knocked.

"Who's there?" came Harry's voice, monotone and dead. Ginny bit her lip.

"Harry," she said, in as soft a tone as she could manage. She wanted to convey so many things in that one word. "Harry, it's me."

There was utter silence on the other side of the door.

And then, quite suddenly, the door was pulled open, Ginny was dragged inside, and Harry was covering her mouth in a searing, heated kiss. Ginny's breath caught in her throat, her eyes flew open with the shock of it. She dropped the box of letters on the floor.

Ginny's back was against the wall, Harry's hands holding her gently by the shoulders. Ginny felt every ounce of Harry's strength pouring into the kiss. His eyes were squeezed shut in an expression that Ginny could only describe as anguish. His hands moved over her shoulders and neck and held her face in his hands. She closed her eyes and allowed the pleasure of it all to wash over her. She felt her knees begin to buckle.

And then Harry pulled away, breath ragged. "I'm sorry," he breathed, stepping back. "I'm sorry," he repeated, softer this time, gaze fixed on the ground.

"Harry," Ginny said slowly, recovering herself, straightening. "Harry? Why did you…?" She didn't understand the heatedness, the frenzy of it.

"I'm sorry," Harry repeated.

Ginny sighed, walked over to him, put a hand to his face and lifted his chin so he was looking straight into her eyes. She could see a profound sadness in those deep wells of green.

"Harry?" she said softly.

"I had to kiss you," he said, "I know you're probably about to break it off…I had to kiss you one last time. I don't regret it," he added resolutely, some of the old determination seeping into his eyes and a wry smile turning up the corners of his lips.

"I don't regret it either," Ginny said, exhaling. Harry's eyes met hers sharply. "I believe you," she said.

Harry looked at her skeptically. "I realize how it looked, Ginny. Hell, _I_ wouldn't even believe me after all the…things…that have happened. I'm going to sound like a bloody girl, but don't toy with me."

Ginny laughed involuntarily. "'Toy with you'? You're right, you did sound like a girl just there. Not any girls I know, hopefully."

"Come on, Ginny," Harry pleaded, though he couldn't hide the twitch at his lips. "You're killing me here."

Ginny kept her face completely serious, doing her best Hermione impression. "I swear by everything magical, Harry Potter, that I am _not_ toying with you."

Harry stared at her for a moment, as though uncertain she was being serious. Then finally he exhaled and collapsed back onto his bed, staring up at the canopy and closing his eyes, a contented look settling over his face. "I can't tell you, Ginny Weasley, how much that means to me," he said, sitting up just long enough to grasp her wrist and pull her down beside him. "I was about ready to jump into the lake and let the Giant Squid eat me for breakfast. Tell me again that you believe me. And pinch me so I know I'm not dreaming."

Ginny laughed, turned her head to look at his profile. "I believe what you said early, Harry Potter. About Cho brushing off something in your hair." Harry grinned. Ginny pinched him. Hard.

"Ow!" he exclaimed.

Ginny snorted. "Good. You're not dreaming."

"Glad we've established that," Harry agreed, rubbing at his arm.

"Though I must admit," Ginny added mischievously, "Cho must be a nitwit if she can't think of a better excuse than 'there's something in your hair' to touch you."

Harry shifted onto his side to face her, eyes twinkling with humour. "And what's your excuse, Ginny Weasley?"

Ginny smirked. "I don't need an excuse," she said slyly, putting a hand on his cheek and sidling closer to kiss his lips.

"You're right," Harry breathed, kissing her back, "you don't."

Ginny, who was already beginning to feel lightheaded, shyly ran her tongue along the bottom of Harry's lip. He opened his mouth obligingly and their kiss became slowly more intense.

Finally, Harry pulled back. "Ginny," he breathed, "there's a limit to how far you can push a guy when you're lying on a bed with him. At a certain point self-control starts leaving the body exponentially."

Ginny grinned. "There you go again," she teased, "always looking out for my virtue."

"Well," Harry replied in mock seriousness, "somebody's got to."

There was a pause. Harry was looking at Ginny thoughtfully.

"What?" she said finally, "Have I got something on my face?"

"No. It's just…what made you believe me?"

Ginny bit her lip, smiling a little. "Well," she said slowly, "I realized I was pretty much overreacting and ought to at least consider your side of it. And," she added, "Hermione and Ron showed me some letters, and…."

"Hold on," Harry cut in. Ginny winced. She had hoped he'd glaze over that last bit. You know, practice a bit of selective hearing. "Hermione and Ron…what?"

"Nothing big. They just showed me some letters."

"Letters, huh?" Harry said, eyes narrowing. "Did those letters happen to be in a box? About this," he gestured with a hand, "high and this wide?"

"Oh, you mean that box?" Ginny said, gesturing nonchalantly in the general direction of the dropped box of letters. She was trying the innocent, I-didn't-know-those-cookies-were-for-Santa tack.

Harry sat up so fast Ginny was sure he'd give himself vertigo. "_Yes_, that box!" he exclaimed, rushing over to pick it up in what Ginny might almost have classified as a protective way. "What did you read?" he said, eyes wide.

"Just one," Ginny said slowly, sitting up, suddenly serious.

Harry looked at her, expression incredulous. "You _read_ one of these? As in, really actually _read _it. Words and everything?"

Ginny laughed, rolled her eyes. "Yes, words and everything, Harry."

"Oh," he said, face reddening. Ginny had never see Harry look so utterly flustered. And then he started speaking so fast that Ginny could hardly keep up with the words. "I didn't think you would ever, _ever_ read any of these. It was supposed to be a complete secret. As in, a carry-to-the-grave secret. They're painfully badly written, I know, but I was only however old I was when I wrote them, which certainly wasn't old enough to be writing daily lov…."

Ginny stood up, grabbed Harry by the shoulders, and shook him until he stopped speaking.

"Shut up, Harry. If you bash those letters one more time, so help me, I will Bat-Bogey you into the next century. I _loved _the letter. It was sweet Harry, really. I mean, really, really sweet. So beautiful I could just bake you a cake every day for the next twenty years." She sighed. "Hermione and Ron said it would make me believe you, and it did."

Harry didn't speak for several moments. He just searched Ginny's face, as though searching for signs of deception.

"Can you do me a favor?" he said finally.

"What?"

"Don't tell me what you read, will you? I don't think I could stand the embarrassment." He looked at her sheepishly.

"It's only embarrassing if you don't mean the stuff you said anymore," Ginny said, testing the waters.

Harry didn't skip a beat. "Oh, trust me, Gin," he said, "it's embarrassing either way."

What Ginny interpreted from this made her stomach flutter.

"Oh, man," Harry said as he leaned down to give Ginny yet another float-feeling-inducing kiss, "Hermione and Ron are _so dead_."

**o.o**

"So," Harry said, falling into the chair beside Ginny in the Great Hall.

"So?" Ginny smiled at him over her hash browns. It was breakfast next morning. The Great Hall was particularly loud, Weasley's Wizard Wheezes products causing general uncontainable havoc.

"Want to help me plot my revenge?"

"Against the redhead and the pregnant girl?" Ginny said, face serious.

"Yes, the very ones," Harry replied, very business-like.

Ginny wondered who would break first this time. Lately she had been first to laugh, but she'd be damned if she was going to let it happen again.

"What type of reciprocating action did you have in mind?" she asked, carefully replacing her fork on her napkin and steepling her fingers.

"Well, I was actually going to ask for suggestions, oh All-Knowing One."

"Hmm…," Ginny returned easily, without missing a step, "I would recommend something involving a troll and Celestina Warbeck on full volume."

"Oh, would you…?" Harry said, serious face collapsing into a grin.

"Oh, come _on_, Harry!" Ginny said, shoving his shoulder playfully. "You weren't even trying!"

"Was too!"

"No way were you trying. And you couldn't even think of a good prank. You call yourself James Potter's son," she scoffed.

Harry laughed outright, then sobered his face instantaneously. "You're right. I shall have to work harder."

"Much harder," Ginny clarified.

"Much harder," Harry agreed.

"Got to get those quips up to speed if you want to play with the big boys, Mr. Potter."

"You're absolutely correct, Miss Weasley."

"And get those facial expressions under control right away. Downright shabby. Shameful, really."

"I shall keep that in mind," Harry said, nodding somberly.

Ginny grinned. "But really, about that prank…."

Harry looked up hopefully.

"We may have to suspend it until _after_ the baby is born. Everything that comes to mind would probably give Hermione a heart attack. And we simply cannot risk endangering the life of the next of the Weasley brood."

"Good thinking," Harry said. "We'll leave that one on the back-burner."

"But don't worry…," Ginny said, grasping Harry's shoulder in mock-comforting. "They will be dead as doornails by the time we're through."

Harry grinned.

**o.o**

**So I know this chapter was pretty bad. At least, I think it's bad. Did you? But guilt has been gnawing away at me for weeks because I haven't updated in sooo long. In any case, the guilt forced me to post ****something**** for you guys to read. But never fear – I have Winter Break in two weeks. Over Break I plan on getting you all a chapter a day until this story is done. It's nearly done, you know! Just a couple more chapters left – probably five or so.**

**So please forgive me for posting this plotless/pointless chapter. It's a connector chapter, really, so more stuff will be happening next time around. And I hope it can tide you over for that two week time period. You've waited muuch longer in the past, and for that I apologize also.**

**Please review! Please? With a cherry on top?**

**Love, iheartbooks**


	26. Hold Your Breath

**A/N: I am on break (yay!) and, as promised, this is…**

**Chapter 26**

**Hold Your Breath**

The end of January swept by in a flurry of morning snow and baby icicles clinging to Ginny's bedroom window. The snow outside had the students feeling less than studious and Ginny, having been on the other side of the teacher's desk just a year before, was painfully sympathetic. Ginny decided to cut the kids a bit of slack. So it was that, on the second Friday of February, the Fifth year Charms students walked into class to find a dozen or so sleds piled up against one wall of the classroom.

Ginny, shutting the door behind the last student, couldn't help but smile at the confused and vaguely hopeful expressions on her students' faces. "Sit down, sit down," she said lightly, walking up to the front of the classroom. "Yes, we'll be doing a bit of sledding today," she began and was immediately cut off by a flurry of excited exclamations, "but don't get too excited until I explain. We'll still be doing some serious Charms work, alright?"

Several students groaned, Ginny rolled her eyes. "Or we could just stay in here and learn about casting charms while in motion in theory," she said, walking purposefully toward the chalkboard.

"No!" cried one student. Ginny turned to the boy who had spoken. His face was quickly descending into a fetching shade of red at being the sudden center of attention.

"No, Perkins?"

"I mean," the boy continued, regaining composure, "I think we'd learn a lot more if we did things practically."

"Oh, really? And how did you become such an expert at teaching, if you don't mind my asking?" Ginny teased. But she was grinning, and Perkins grinned back.

"Well, it's what Professor Potter says," the boy replied innocently, "and he's right about pretty much everything."

Ginny nearly choked on her own spit. "Excuse me?" she managed in the midst of a rather loud coughing fit.

"I said," Perkins said deliberately, "Professor Potter is right about pretty much everything. So it's probably safe to trust him…you know, with the whole teaching thing and what not."

"Believe me," Ginny said quickly, "Professor Potter is most certainly _not_ right about everything." She paused, "He didn't tell you that he was, did he?"

"Well actually," piped up a girl in the front row, "he did say he was right about pretty much everything."

"He said so the other day in Defense," continued Perkins, "but he told us not to tell you he'd said it or you'd have a fit."

"Have a fit!?" Ginny said incredulously, "I'm going to Bat Bogey him right off his high horse right after class, the arrogant toerag!"

Suddenly the whole class burst into laughter. "What?" said Ginny suspiciously.

Perkins grinned wider than ever. "He said you'd say that."

Ginny couldn't help laughing as well. She could almost imagine Harry in that Defense class: _"I'm right about pretty much everything you know. Oh God, don't tell Professor Weasley I said that – she'd have a fit. She'd probably threaten to Bat Bogey me off my high horse straightaway. Crap, that would hurt. So don't tell her I said that." _It took several minutes for the class to settle down again.

"Alright, alright," Ginny said finally. "Do you all want to go sledding or not? Yes? Then I'd better explain what we're doing. Now, especially in Defense situations or, say, when you're playing Quidditch, you've got to know how to perform Charms when you're moving. It's a lot harder than you think. And so, we're going to be taking those sleds out to the hill behind the Greenhouses, and you're going to be performing Summoning Charms while speeding down the slopes. Make sense? Okay, line up, I'll explain the specifics when we get out there."

**o.o**

Ginny was standing on top of a desk, rummaging through a chest on top of her storage cabinet.

"You know, you could have just levitated that down, Miss _Charms_ Professor." Ginny nearly lost her balance in whirling around.

"Harry, you nearly gave me a heart attack," she said, "or better yet," she glanced meaningfully at the floor, "broke my neck."

"Oh, I could have caught you," he said easily. He had come in through the open classroom door completely soundlessly and was now sitting nonchalantly atop Ginny's desk, legs dangling only a few inches off the ground.

"I'm glad you're so confident," Ginny grinned. "And for you information, Mr. I'm Always Right, my wand's on my desk and I didn't feel like walking three feet to get it. I can be as lazy as Ron when I want to be," she said matter of factly, "Happy?"

"Well," Harry returned easily, "Admitting your problem _is_ the first step to recovery."

"And does that Twelve Step Plan shrink swollen heads as well?" Ginny grinned.

"Whatever do you mean?" Harry replied.

"Shall we continue with the denial, or shall I just Bat Bogey you off your high horse right now?"

Harry raised his eyebrows, then realization passed over his face and he grinned widely. "I knew you'd say that," he said.

"Not exactly admitting our problem, are we?" Ginny teased, turning back to rummaging through the storage chest.

"My pride couldn't handle it," Harry said matter of factly. "But do you want to tell me what exactly you're doing up there?" he added.

"Looking for my Magic Absorbant Pebbles," Ginny said without turning around. "Third Years are practicing colour changing charms and they need something to practice on. Those pebbles are great because they're perfectly smooth and round, so no shadows or reflective stuff to worry about. And they absorb the slightest bit of magic, so they'll start changing colour even if the charm's not very strong. Give the kids a bit of confidence, you know? Damn," she said finally, turning to face Harry at last, "can't find them. Actually, I think I gave the last of them to McGonagall a while back…."

"Actually," Harry said suddenly, "I have to go to Diagon Alley anyway, I need some more dragon's sinew. The grindylows are teething and they get bloody loud when they haven't got something to chew on."

"Grindylow's, eh?" Ginny grinned, jumping down from the desk and crossing to Harry "How's _that_ going?"

Harry rolled his eyes. "Some of the kids are still scared out of their wits. I don't blame them, though. Those things give me the creeps."

"Something actually gives the Great Harry Potter the creeps!?" Ginny laughed, "It's a good thing Voldemort never found out you were scared of grindylows."

"Phew," Harry said, putting a hand to his brow in mock relief, "I never would have won if he'd sprung a grindylow on me."

"Anyway," Ginny said as her laughter finally subsided, "When are we going to Diagon Alley?"

"How about now?"

Ginny shrugged, "Sure, why not? Oh, but I meant to tell you, we're Flooing over for breakfast at the Burrow tomorrow. Hermione insisted she's found the perfect Bridesmaid dress and I have to approve it as soon as possible. Because God only knows," she added as she and Harry started toward the front of the castle, "there'll probably be a disaster if the dress isn't ordered by tomorrow night. There could be an inflation in the price of tulle!"

Harry was still laughing when they exited school grounds and apparated into the main street of Diagon Alley.

**o.o**

Diagon Alley was crowded at this time of day. All the housewifely witches were dragging their children through the streets in search of last minute dinner ingredients. Some famous singer or other was signing copies of her autobiography in Fluorish and Blotts and reporters were crowding outside, snapping pictures of the singer from every conceivable angle.

Ginny grabbed Harry's hand and led him to the stall where he could buy his dragon sinew. She knew Diagon Alley much better than he did. "Alright," she said, "Hurry it up. I don't have all day." She raised her eyebrows at Harry's grin and stood, face serious, tapping her foot as he sorted through the available bags of sinew.

"Bit impatient, ain't she?" croaked the vendor, narrowing his eyes at Ginny and wagging a finger in Harry's direction. "I say you dump 'er as fast as Harry Potter on a Nimbus. S'not worth it, n'matter how good lookin'."

Far from being offended, Ginny had to bite her lip to keep from bursting into laughter. The man obviously hadn't realized he was talking to Harry Potter himself. Not very observant, then, she decided.

Harry glanced furtively at Ginny. He obviously noticed (being a bit more observant than the vendor) from the set of Ginny's jaw, that she was trying hard not to laugh. He smiled indulgently at the man, and said, as he exchanged a few coins for five bags of sinew, "You know, you're right. I'll get rid of her straightaway!"

"Good for you!" the man smiled widely. "Glad to be of service!"

As they walked away, shaking with silent mirth, Harry leaned down and whispered in Ginny's ear, "'Faster than Harry Potter on a Nimbus'!?"

"Oh, it's a common phrase these days," Ginny said, smiling up at Harry sweetly. "It means 'really, really fast'."

"Well, that's good," Harry laughed.

"Yeah," Ginny replied, "Almost as fast as Ginny Weasley on a Firebolt!"

And she raced off, weaving through the groups of people, laughing and knowing without looking that Harry was chasing after her, racing her past the shops and through the streets as if neither of them had ever had a care in the world.

Ginny slowed to a stop in an alleyway near the store where she could buy her Absorbant Pebbles. She collapsed against the alleyway wall, tried to catch her breath as Harry came up beside her.

"Phew," he said finally, "I think Ginny and her Firebolt could _definitely_ give Harry and his Nimbus a run for their money."

"You bet your bum they could," Ginny laughed. Harry smiled, turned his face to Ginny. Ginny could feel that her cheeks were pink from the wind and her hair was everywhere. Harry was looking down at her, his green eyes carefree and happy, his hair even more unruly than usual. And he was still grinning when he lowered his face to hers, kissed her. This kiss wasn't hurried or frantic, it was sweet, simple, contented. She was reminded, as her feet seemed to leave the cobbled floor of the alleyway, of their first kiss after Harry had returned, the one in the Teacher's Lounge, the one that had been interrupted by a very angry Dean.

Ginny wrapped her arms up around Harry's neck, smiled against his lips. And it was at that moment that Ginny Weasley finally allowed herself to admit: _She was so bloody in love with him._

As Harry's arms tightened around her waist, Ginny reflected. The fact that she didn't feel particularly different after having that thought was simply proof that she'd known it all along. It just hadn't, since he'd come home, crossed her mind in exactly those terms. So it wasn't a realization then, but more of a rewording. _Ginny Weasley loves Harry Potter_. Well, Ginny thought, smiling to herself, she liked the way this 'rewording' sounded.

"Oh my God!" a voice interrupted, "That's Harry Potter!"

Harry jerked away from Ginny, looked up sharply. Ginny glanced up and was immediately blinded by the flash of a camera bulb. Reporters were suddenly crowding the entrance to the alleyway. Ginny recognized them, by the puce coloured feather on one of the reporters' hats, as the ones that had been jostling around outside Fluorish and Blotts earlier.

"Mr. Potter, who is that?" Ginny heard someone shout. And then, Harry had grasped her hand.

"Come on, Gin!" he said over the yells and calls of the reporters. "Let's go!" And suddenly he was apparating them both back to the outskirts of Hogwarts.

**o.o**

As soon as they had made it to the privacy of his dormitory, Harry sat Ginny down in a chair.

"Ginny, I am so, so sorry about that."

"Sorry about what?" Ginny said, almost laughing at the mortified look on Harry's face. He actually thought she was mad at him!

"That whole…_thing_ back there."

"Oh, _that_!" she teased, "That was rather a blast, don't you think? I rather like being famous!"

Harry looked shocked.

"I'm _kidding_, Harry, _kidding_," Ginny laughed finally. "It was actually kind of horrible," she admitted, "but you had us out of there so fast it was kind of a whirlwind, so I hardly had any idea what was going on. Can you pass me Chocolate Frog?" she gestured to the drawer where she knew Harry kept his secret stash.

"Oh, so you're not absolutely horrified or scarred for life or anything," Harry said, face relaxing. He sat down, threw her a Frog, which she caught easily and began to unwrap.

"Don't worry about me," Ginny said. "I always forget you're famous. Even more famous now, I guess."

"I'd almost forgotten myself," Harry said, "I haven't been out of Hogwarts and the Burrow too much since I got back. At least, nowhere with a whole bunch of reporters all condensed into a swarm like that."

Ginny grinned. "A swarm? You make them sound like bugs."

"In my experience?" Harry smiled, "They are. Rita Skeeter, anyone? I hate to think what they're going to say about us in the paper tomorrow morning."

"'Us'? Don't you mean 'me'?"

"Yeah, I do," Harry admitted, "But I was trying to give off an 'we're in this together' vibe."

"Aw," Ginny laughed, "How sweet of you. But seriously, Harry, don't worry about it. I can take whatever they can dish out. I have thick skin, trust me."

"I don't doubt it," Harry grinned. He pulled his chair nearer to hers, leaned forward. "Now, where were we?"

**o.o**

"Ginny! We're going to be late, and you know how Hermione is about punctuality!" Harry called through the bathroom door. It was the next morning, and Ginny was casting a drying spell on her just washed hair.

"Alright, alright, don't get your knickers in a knot!" Ginny said, pulling open the door. "Morning," she added, pecking Harry on the cheek. She grabbed her robes and pulled them on over her clothes as they exited into the hall.

They made their way to McGonagall's office, greeting the occasional group of students making their way to a late Saturday breakfast.

"Is your mum cooking breakfast?" Harry asked hopefully.

"Probably," Ginny shrugged. "Although she may have gone out, in which case you'd better hope Hermione's a better cook than Ron."

"Oh, she is," Harry said.

"How do you know?"

"Well, she did most of the cooking while we were gone. Three years of cooking with very few supplies will do wonders for one's culinary skills."

"Don't tell me you made her cook every day," Ginny said, glaring at Harry in mock indignation. "And probably just because she's female! Men and their godforsaken stereotypes," she grumbled. "Listen here, mister, if we ever get married, you are doing your fair share of cooking!"

Harry laughed. "If we get married, Gin, I promise to cook you breakfast in bed every single day."

Ginny grinned, pointed a finger at Harry, "I'm holding you to that."

McGonagall wasn't in her office when they arrived, so Ginny scribbled a note telling her where to find them if they were needed. She left the note on McGonagall's desk, then crossed with Harry to the fireplace.

"Why don't we Floo together?" she said suddenly, not really sure where the suggestion had come from.

"Why?" said Harry, raising his eyebrows mischievously.

"To see what happens. I've never Floo'd with another person before."

"Alright, come on then," Harry said, grabbing Ginny's hand. They stood together in the fireplace, both with a handful of Floo powder.

"On three, then?" said Ginny.

"One, two, three!"

"The Burrow!" they yelled in unison, and were suddenly swept together through the Floo network.

Ginny felt the constant of Harry's hand in hers as they were jostled past dozens of fireplaces. Somehow, it was a little comforting to have something to hold on to. The Floo was such a rush of tumbling and soot and dust; she felt as though she had the tiniest bit more of control when she could feel the warmth of Harry's hand in hers.

Suddenly, Ginny felt hard floor against her back and then a part of Harry's weight on top of her. Opening her eyes, she realized that he had still managed to catch most of his weight on his hands, which were splayed on either side of Ginny's head. Ginny suddenly realized, and she could to tell from the sudden look in Harry's eyes that he realized it too, that they were in a rather…less than platonic position at the moment. Yet neither of them was making any particular effort to move, even after it would have been politely required to do so. Ginny's breath hitched a little as Harry seemed to lean forward. Was he going to kiss her? Here? In this position? On her living room floor? Her heart was beating unnaturally quickly.

"WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING TO MY SISTER!?"

In a split second, Harry rolled off her and was standing. He reached down, grasped Ginny's hand, and pulled her up beside him. She glared at Ron, who was standing with his arms crossed, face red with anger. Ginny noticed Hermione, who was standing, eyes wide, a few feet behind Ron.

Harry cleared his throat, obviously racking his brain for something acceptable to say, or else the thing least likely to send Ron into a flying rage.

"Well, Potter? Spit it out! What in the bloody hell was going on in here?"

"It's none of your bloody business what was going on in here, Ron!" Ginny yelled back, her tone and expression matching Ron's. They had had this argument so many times, Ginny figured they probably ought to have it scripted soon. But that didn't make her any less angry. "But for your information, Ron," she said, rolling her eyes, "we were shagging! Happy?"

"What!? Potter, you are _so_…."

"Ron, I swear, we were not…we still have all our clothes…," Harry began.

"RON!" Ginny cut in, "Of course we weren't shagging on mum's living room floor, you bloody idiot! But if we were, it would be none of your bloody business!"

That seemed to stop Ron in his tracks. "And in any case," Ginny continued, her voice calming, "you aren't allowed to say anything anymore, after you got Hermione _pregnant_!"

Ron was silent for a moment. Hermione had stepped up beside him and had been looking from one sibling to another as though watching a tennis match. Then, quite unexpectedly, Ron started laughing.

"Huh, I guess you're right," he conceded.

"Yeah, she is," Hermione snorted.

And then they were all laughing, and Ron and Hermione were leading Harry and Ginny into the kitchen.

"Mum's in Diagon Alley," Hermione explained, and Ginny smiled that Hermione was finally calling Mrs. Weasley 'Mum'. "So I've cooked some breakfast. But before we break out the food, would you boys mind if I talked to Ginny in private?"

Ron seemed about to protest at being made to wait longer for food, but Harry cut in. "Yeah, no problem," he said, kicking Ron under the table.

"Ow!" Ron exclaimed, glaring at Harry. He turned to the girls and smiled sweetly, "Sure thing!"

"Great!" Hermione beamed, then grabbed Ginny by the hand and whisked her out of the room.

"Hermione, what's going on?" Ginny whispered as Hermione pulled her up the stairs. Hermione didn't answer, just pulled Ginny into an empty room and locked and sound sealed it.

"This," said Hermione simply, grabbing a copy of the Daily Prophet off the nightstand.

"Oh, crap," Ginny said, taking the paper from Hermione, but refusing to look at it. "What have they gone and said about me? You'd better make sure Mum doesn't believe anything they've written. Harry and I just went to Diagon Alley to get supplies for class and they caught us in an alleyway snogging a bit – that's all! And…."

"Oh, Ginny, would you stuff it? You haven't even read the darn thing!" Hermione interrupted, her voice exasperated.

"Yes," Ginny said, trying to thrust the paper back into Hermione's hands, "and I don't plan on reading it. It's all bollocks anyway and it's probably horribly insulting, so I'd rather not, thanks very much!"

"Well, I really think you'd better read it, because rumours are going to abound after this, and not the kind you think!" Hermione replied.

Ginny's curiousity was piqued. "What do you mean 'not the kind I think'?"

"Read it and find out," Hermione said, crossing her arms over her pregnant belly triumphantly.

Ginny rolled her eyes, but opened the Prophet. The first thing she saw was a very large picture of her and Harry kissing blissfully in the alleyway. The first thing she thought was that the Prophet must be running out of stories to tell. The front page, for Christ's sake!? The second thing she thought was that the two of them looked happier than any other couple she had ever seen. Maybe it was the light or the way the photographer had angled the camera, but even as they'd pulled away from eachother, shocked by the flash of the camera and the sudden shrieks of reporters, they'd looked very much in love. Harry's arm, she noticed, and gone immediately around her as they'd pulled apart. The gesture was protective, sweet. Her eyes lingered on the picture for a few moments, then dropped to the story beneath:

_Harry Potter Reunites With Lost Love_

_Harry Potter (20), The Boy Who Lived and recent Saviour of the Wizarding World, seems to have rediscovered happiness at last. Just yesterday, Potter was spotted in wizarding marketplace Diagon Alley sharing a romantic moment with childhood sweetheart Ginevra Weasley (19)._

_Potter resurfaced this September after three years under the radar, to announce that he, along with friends Ronald Weasley (20) and Hermione Granger (20), had successfully vanquished the most terrible dark lord in wizarding history, He Who Must Not Be Named. This announcement came as a shock to many Ministry of Magic officials, who had spent those three years in unsuccessful attempts to locate He Who Must Not Be Named, but Potter's story was soon verified and he has come to be hailed as the Saviour of the Wizarding World._

_Since his return, many have speculated as to the status of Potter's love life, especially in the wake of the engagement of his best friends and fellow heroes Weasley and Granger. His fame and prestige, coupled with estimations of the Potter and Black fortunes(left to him by his parents and godfather Sirius Black, respectively), have made Potter, in the eyes of many, the most eligible bachelor in the wizarding world._

_Yet it seems that Mr. Potter has already been taken off the market. It has become increasingly clear that, upon returning home, Potter was immediately reunited with an old flame, Ginevra Weasley. "They dated for a few months at the end of his sixth year," says Padma Patil, one of Potter's Hogwarts classmates. "They were very, very serious. I remember a lot of girls being jealous of Ginny [Ginevra." Potter and Weasley, who is, in fact, the younger sister of Potter's best friend, Ronald Weasley, were an exclusive couple until the end of Potter's sixth year, when he disappeared on the mission which ultimately ended in the demise of He Who Must Not Be Named._

_Weasley finished her Seventh Year at Hogwarts and was hired by Headmistress Minerva McGonagall directly out of school to teach the Charms course there. Immediately upon his return, Potter took the post of Defense Against the Dark Arts professor at Hogwarts in an attempt, in now seems clear, to be near Weasley. Students report that both are exceptionally well liked. There has even, several students have stated, been some "serious flirting between the two of them. It's really, really sweet. When he looks at her, its like sparks fly or something. It's just really hard to describe. But there's definite chemistry," observes Sixth Year Patricia Wilkins (16)._

_It seems likely that, three years ago, Potter and Weasley sacrificed their young relationship so that Potter could complete his task of defeating He Who Must Not Be Named. It is for this reason that a great deal of delight and an outpouring of well wishers can be expected at the news that the happy couple seem to have rekindled their romance at last._

_Katie Bell, another Hogwarts classmate and fellow Gryffindor Quidditch player, adds another facet to Potter and Weasley's relationship: "I wish them all the best. I think if all this Dark Lord business hadn't interfered, they'd probably be married by now." Could marriage be in the couple's near future? Miss Weasley notably sports no ring at this time, but yet another former classmate, Alicia Spinnet, states that "Katie's right. A couple years and they definitely would have been married. So at this point, I'd say it's definitely, _definitely_, a possibility." And so the question must be broached – what is Harry Potter waiting for? Because he certainly seems to have found the right girl._

Ginny blinked a few times. She refolded the paper, still not saying a word, and replaced it on the nightstand. Hermione was looking at her expectantly.

"Well," Ginny said finally, "I guess my mum's not the only one holding her breath."

Hermione grinned. "I guess not."

**A/N: Phew! So this was a really loooong chapter! I'm extremely glad I'm on holiday and have had time to write it! I hope you liked it. I just needed some honest to goodness fluff, you know? I was going into fluff withdrawal.**

**Oh, and I just wanted to explain about the whole "Ginny pranking Ron and Hermione" thing because a couple of people asked and I realized I hadn't made it very clear. Ginny's not **_**really**_** planning on pranking them (because she really is grateful that they made her see the light on the whole Harry issue), she's just joking around with Harry. So, no, she's not actually planning a prank. Hope that clears that up. :)**

**Anyway, I have a big favour to ask. I really want to find some good fics to ****read****, and I know you guys are probably the best ones to ask for recommendations, so I'm asking! Harry and Ginny are my preference, of course, but I'm up for anything. I've enjoyed quite a few fics with Draco involved, and I seem to be drawn to fics with love triangles. But, of course, pure HarryGinny is always good as well! ****Please put a fic recommendation in your review****! I'll really appreciate it – especially since I've got two weeks to read any fics you recommend!**

**Please review! With **_**another**_** cherry on top? Thanks again for all your encouragement – it really helps me along! Happy Belated Christmas!**


	27. Conversations on Valentine's Day

**A/N: So apparently a chapter a day was overly ambitious. :) But here is Chapter 27 – enjoy! I'm reposting because there was a line at the end that was messed up – it was bugging me no end. :)**

**Chapter 27**

**Conversations on Valentine's Day**

Ginny was a tad bit depressed. She was seated in her classroom, and it was Valentine's Day. She and Harry were going flying today – he was due to meet her here with his broom in a few minutes. Her gaze wandered to her own broom, propped up against her desk, its inscription prominent and shining. Ginny smiled. She was glad they were going flying, and that she had a boyfriend who seemingly had a solution to every problem. Ever since the _Daily Prophet_ article had come out, she and Harry had been attacked by swarms (Ginny and Harry had taken to calling them that after his first description of them) of over-eager reporters every time they stepped off Hogwarts grounds. McGonagall had made absolutely certain that they weren't bombarded while on school property, but her jurisdiction didn't extend beyond that. Ginny had been unable to think of a romantic Valentine's getaway that would not be immediately intruded upon and splashed across tomorrow's _Prophet_. But Harry had thought of the air. The reporters wouldn't notice them leaving Hogwarts and, once they were airborne, they could go whereever they wanted.

To the casual observer, there wouldn't seem to be anything worth being depressed about. But Ginny was a little grumpy, and she knew exactly why.

Just then, the door opened and Harry's head appeared. He grinned at her. Ginny felt her heart flutter in that now-familiar way. _Damn him and that charming Potter grin._

back in her chair and propping her legs up in his lap. "And how's my favorite redhead?" he asked, practically skipping in and plopping himself down on her desk. He twirled his broom handle expertly between his fingers.

"Enthusiastic, aren't we?" Ginny said, sitting. "And don't let Ron hear you say I'm your favourite redhead He'd be heartbroken."

Harry smiled. "Oh, he'd get over it. You're _much_ better looking."

Ginny snorted. "Well that's a relief."

"What's wrong?" Harry said suddenly. Ginny looked up sharply, realized that his eyes were searching her face. When did he get so observant?

"Whatever do you mean?" she asked, feigning innocence.

"Nice try," Harry smiled wryly. "You're like an open book. Something's wrong."

"An open book?" Ginny repeated, raising an eyebrow.

"Okay, not exactly _open_. I mean, you're not open to everyone. But _I _know how to read you," Harry said. He paused, looked thoughtful for a moment. "That sounded like I was making a sexual innuendo, didn't it?"

Ginny laughed outright. "Yeah, it kind of did."

Harry looked sheepish. "_And_ we're done with that metaphor. But really, what's up?"

"Nothing's up." Really, though, Ginny didn't even know why she bothered trying to hide it. Harry noticed _everything_. It was actually kind of sweet.

Now it was Harry's turn to raise his eyebrows. "Tell me or I'll sit on you."

Ginny cocked her head. "Excuse me?"

"Works on Hermione every time. Tell me, or I swear, I'll sit on you. And I'm _much_ heavier than you, so trust me, it won't be comfortable."

"You're not serious," Ginny said, searching Harry's face. But she could tell by his expression that he was.

Harry shifted a little on the desk, leaned his broom carefully against it. "Are you doubting me?" he said.

"Alright," Ginny challenged, raising an eyebrow. "Bring it on."

"Fine, have it your way," Harry said. And in one swift movement he slid off the desk and sat directly in her lap. Ginny had to pull her legs back quickly to support his weight.

"Hey!" she protested as he shimmied about, making himself comfortable. "Damn, Harry, try to keep the weight off, would you?"

"Am I crushing you yet?" Harry asked innocently, sounding highly amused.

"Yes!" Ginny practically yelled. "You're lucky you're my boyfriend, you prat! Any of my brothers would be long dead!"

"Are you going to tell me what's wrong?" Harry asked, completely unfazed.

"Fine, fine! But geroffme, fatty!" She pushed against his back.

"Promise you'll tell if I get off?"

"Yes!"

"Uncross your fingers," Harry said calmly, not looking back.

"Damn you, get off!" Ginny said, reluctantly uncrossing her fingers. He knew her too well. She couldn't pull anything anymore.

"Okay." And Harry slid off her lap nonchalantly and settled himself back on the table.

"If my legs are broken, you're going to sit by my bedside while I Skele-Gro them back!"

"Any day, Gin," Harry smiled. "Now hold up your end of the bargain. What's bugging you?"

Ginny cleared her throat. "Alright, alright," she said slowly. "It's…well…I'm just a little annoyed by your meeting with Cho later. I mean, I know you haven't got any choice," she said quickly, "and I'm not _jealous_ or anything, but that girl _really_ doesn't know where to stop! I mean, Valentine's Day? Is she _serious_!?"

And it was true, really, Ginny thought. She wasn't really mad, and she certainly wasn't worried that anything would happen. She was long past that. At this point, it was just plain old annoyance that Cho would call a last minute "pre-observation meeting" with Harry on Valentine's Day. That girl really didn't have any shame.

"Oh, is that it?" Harry said thoughtfully.

Ginny nodded, feeling her cheeks turn a little red as Harry searched her face.

"Alright," Harry said easily, "I'll just tell her I can't do the meetings anymore. I've been meaning to tell her to shove it for a while now." He shrugged.

"No, Harry! I mean, it's not a big deal. It's just a _little_ annoying, that's all. So don't get yourself in trouble for me. You're the one that has to suffer through it, after all." She grinned. She _really_ didn't want to be that demanding girlfriend type. Somehow, the fact that Harry had so quickly offered to tell Cho to, what had he said? – "shove it" – made her feel _a lot_ better. The catty-girl part of her wanted to see the look on Cho's face. Not that she really expected Harry to do it. But hey, a girl can dream.

"No, really, Gin," Harry said, face serious, "I've been planning on telling her that the meetings are a waste of time and I have much better things to do. I mean, honestly, last time she tried to get me to take her to a restaurant so we could 'talk about my lesson plans'. If she didn't just want free dinner then I'm the giant squid," he said, rolling his eyes.

Ginny laughed. "She wanted to get in your pants is what she wanted," she commently dryly.

Harry laughed along. "Yeah, probably that too." He shrugged. "So anyway, I'll just drop by later and tell her she can go interview a stuffed chicken for all I care."

Ginny grinned up at Harry. "As perfect as that sounds, won't you get in trouble?"

"You know, I actually don't think so. What's Scrimgouer gonna do, fire me? I hate to sound conceited, but I think there'd be kind of an uproar. I think I'm fairly well respected around these parts," Harry said thoughtfully.

Ginny snorted, "Understatement of the year. You're right, though – all the parents in this school would have a fit if they found out you'd been fired from the post. I mean, who's more well qualified to teach their kids Defence than you?"

Harry was nodding. "I was thinking about this earlier in the year," he continued, "You know, when Cho first ordered these meeting whatever _things_," he rolled his eyes again, and Ginny smiled appreciatively, "but then I didn't really want to get into a big argument with the Ministry right then. There were enough rumours swirling around that I was going to try and usurp the Minister's post or whatever. Seriously, _like_ I'd want Scrimguoer's job. Anyway, I didn't want to get into another _Harry Potter v. Ministry of Magic_ thing so soon after I got back. I just wanted to relax for a bit, not stir up any trouble. And I figured Cho might have a legitimate reason for these meetings, and I didn't want to shoot her down if she was just doing her job."

Now it was Ginny's turn to roll her eyes. "Harry, you trust _way_ too much in people's goodness. I could have told you Cho was up to no good. I can tell these things," she crossed her arms and stretched her legs comfortably back into Harry's lap.

Harry shook his head ruefully. "I should know by now – trust Ginny's insticts."

"Exactly," Ginny replied.

"So, yeah, I'll tell her," Harry said finally, rubbing his hands reassuringly up and down Ginny's calves, "and she can write whatever stupid evaluation she wants."

Ginny grinned. "You're sexy when you're determined." She couldn't help but smile when her comment sent a blush up Harry's cheek. She decided to press her advantage. She loved messing with Harry's head.

"You know," she said, toning her voice low. She pulled her feet from his lap and stood, pushing herself into the space between Harry's legs. She felt his whole body stiffen in surprise and grinned inwardly. "It's Valentine's Day. We could get up to a whole lot more than flying. If you want, I mean." She batted her eyelids for good measure, running a hand down his chest.

"Do your brothers know you're such a tease?" Harry said, his breath brushing her ear.

At the tone of his voice, Ginny felt a shiver run down her spine and decided to end it before she lost her advantage. "Yep," she breathed, "and they _definitely_ don't approve." With that, she stepped away, grabbed her broom, and turned her back on him, walking straight for the door. She heard Harry hop from the desk.

"And you're pretty sexy when you're being all seductive," he said, suddenly directly behind her. And she felt him slap her bum playfully.

"Harry Potter, did you just slap my bum?" she demanded, whirling around.

"Yep," he said, his mouth twitching at the corners. "Are we flying or not?" And with that, he went out the door, leaving a shocked Ginny in his wake.

"Hey, come back here!" she cried, running after him.

They made their way down to the grassy area in the front of the castle. "You know what?" Ginny said thoughtfully, bouncing up and down on the balls of her feet, feeling the cushioning of the grass. "Why are we using two brooms, anyway? We really should be sharing. Don't worry," she said, glancing at Harry, who was eyeing her suspiciously, obviously wondering if this was revenge for the earlier bum-slapping, "you can steer if it makes you feel more manly."

Harry raised his eyebrows. "Sure, but you're sitting in front. I like the feeling of your bum between my legs." Ginny's jaw dropped, and Harry laughed outright. "Just kidding, just kidding," he placated.

As Ginny performed the opposite of a summoning spell and sent her broom whizzing back to her dormitory, she reflected. The flirting between her and Harry had definitely been on a whole new level in recent weeks. Things were definitely getting a lot more intense and - Ginny felt herself flush - quite a bit more…sexual. Their banter was all in good fun, but Ginny was beginning to wonder if they were really only joking. When she told Harry he was sexy, she definitely wasn't kidding. And when Harry snogged her, he was a lot more…forceful...in a good way. Though they'd carefully stayed upright and fully clothed, there Harry kissed her with quite a bit more heat, and Ginny responded in kind. She felt her whole body tingle just thinking about it.

"Are we doing this or not?" Harry's voice cut into her thoughts, and Ginny looked up sharply. She felt herself blush again. _Damn this complexion!_

Harry noticed the colour in her cheeks and grinned wickedly. "What _were_ you thinking about, Ginny? Get your mind out of the gutter!"

"Shut up, Potter," Ginny retorted, swinging her leg over the broom. She made a point to push her bum into Harry much harder than was necessary, but he didn't seem particularly bothered.

"Thanks for that, Weasley," he said in her ear. She scowled. Harry pushed off the ground and they both got comfortable as they rose slowly into the air. Ginny allowed herself to slide back a little on the broom so that every part of her back touched Harry's front. Harry leaned forward and placed his hands on the broom handle in front of her. He squeezed her thigh lightly and she couldn't supress a slight shiver, "_That_ was for trying to kill me with that bum of yours." Ginny grinned.

"Well then, I guess we're even," she said, voice soft.

"Hmm…guess we are," Harry replied.

Harry rested his chin on her shoulder. Ginny sighed contentedly and leaned her head back into the crook between his neck and shoulder. She gave him a peck on the cheek, and then they accelerated away.

o.o

Their Valentine's Day passed in a wonderful blur. They had mutually decided to forego gifts. They ended up snogging a fair amount instead, which was quite alright with Ginny. By the time they returned to the castle night was already falling and it was time for dinner.

"Phew," Ginny laughed as they stumbled into the castle, both still struggling to get back their land legs after so much flying. "Meet you down here in twenty? I have _got_ to take a shower."

"You sure you don't want some company?"

Ginny choked. "What!?" she spluttered.

"Just kidding!" Harry laughed, throwing a friendly arm around her shoulders. "But you should have seen your face!"

"Watch it, Potter," she said, glaring at him. His hair was more mussed up than usual, having just been subjected to a few hours of headwind, and his cheeks were flushed. His eyes sparkled with mirth as he looked down at her, and she couldn't help but grin.

"Alright," Harry said finally as they rounded a corner, "We come to the parting of ways. Bottom of the staircase. Twenty minutes."

"Aye, aye, cap'n," Ginny said, throwing her hand up in a mock salute. Harry grinned and sauntered off in the opposite direction.

Ginny sighed contentedly and whispered the password to her door, which swung open obligingly.

"_You_ look like you had a nice time," quipped her mirror as she walked past it on her way to the bathroom.

"I had a very nice time, thank you," Ginny returned, tapping the towel rack so a fresh towel appeared from somewhere within the bowels of Hogwarts. She was just about to start shedding her sweaty clothing when she heard the familiar vibration of the mirror beneath her pillow.

She launched herself onto her bed, feeling peculiarly like a little kid again. Spending time with Harry always seemed to wash away all her petty grown-up worries. She said the spell and the brush receded back to reveal Hermione's face, grinning from ear to ear.

"Hey, Hermione," Ginny said cautiously. Hermione looked uncharacteristically excited.

"Ginny!" she practically squealed. Hermione didn't squeal. "You are never, ever in a million years going to believe what we've just gotten."

Ginny raised her eyebrows. Her curiousity was piqued. "What?"

"You have to come see for yourself!"

"Wait – what? Why can't you just tell me?"

"Just grab Harry and come over. Right now."

"Hermione," Ginny said slowly, putting on her best puppy-dog face. It worked every time on her brothers. She had yet to try it on Harry, but she had a feeling he'd melt into a puddle like every other male she knew. "Can't you just give me an itty-bitty _little_ hint."

"Nope," Hermione said firmly. "The sooner you get your bum over here, the sooner you find out!" _What is this fixation with my bum today?_ Ginny couldn't help grinning, remembering her earlier conversation with Harry.

"Alright, _fine_. We'll be there in half an hour."

"Great!" Hermione gushed, and the mirror went blank. Ginny shoved it back under her pillow, wondering what in _world_ Hermione could be so excited about. A crup, perhaps? No, Hermione struck her as more of a cat person. And Ron hated crups. Well, Ginny was out of ideas.

She stepped into the shower, still thinking hard.

o.o

Twenty minutes later, Ginny bounded down the main staircase, feeling fresh and hoping Harry was already there to meet her.

He was. "Is the water boiling when you shower?" he asked genially. He was leaning against the wall again and looked rather dashing, Ginny decided, with his hair still damp from the shower.

"What makes you say that?" she grinned, taking his hand to hold him back when he started towards the Great Hall. He looked questioningly at her, but shrugged, apparently deciding to answer her question.

"Your skin always looks thoroughly pink whenever you finish showering."

"Hmm," Ginny considered, lifting up her arm for observation. "Perhaps it is boiling. I don't really notice anymore."

"You should try putting an egg in there and see if it's cooked afterwards."

"Probably would be. Hey, that's a good idea!" Ginny said, laughing, "I'd be getting ready and making breakfast _simultaneously_."

"Wonderful plan," Harry grinned. "Now, want to explain why we're not heading to a lovely Hogwarts dinner right about now?" He glanced at his hand where Ginny was clasping it.

"Oh, Hermione just popped into the mirror to say there's something ridiculously exciting going on at the Burrow and we need to head over there straightaway. She won't tell me what it is."

Harry cocked his head. "Did they get a crup or something?"

Ginny laughed. "Naw, Ron hates crups."

"Oh, right, I remember," Harry said, grinning. "Okay, we better go then."

They left school grounds hand in hand and stopped a couple feet into the forest. "How do we feel about side-along today?" Harry said mischievously.

Ginny shrugged. "Sure, why not. Don't splinch me." She stepped into Harry's outstretched arms, reveling in the feeling of him enclosing her in the protection of his arms.

In a moment, they were at the Burrow.

o.o

Before Ginny could even get her bearings, she felt herself pushed aside as Harry was tackled by her mother, who looked barely able to contain her excitement.

"Harry, congratulations!" her mum was saying, pulling back to clasp Harry's face in her hands. "Absolutely everyone will be there to see you presented with it. Just think, you'll be going down in history, alongside so many _famous_ wizards and witches. And it's totally deserved, of course. The three of you have put most of _those_ wizards to shame…."

"Mum!" Ginny heard Ron say. She turned to see Ron and Hermione come into the room. "Mum, he doesn't even know what's going on yet!"

This seemed to stop Mrs. Weasley in her tracks. She stepped back, and Ginny caught the very bewildered expression on Harry's face.

"Harry, mate," Ron said quickly, "_This_ just came," he held up and envelope, brandished it in the air. The envelope was an odd, oblong shape, and decorated with an official Ministry seal and ribbon.

"Erm…what is that?" Harry said uncertainly, obviously a little wary of the Ministry seal.

"Oh, Harry!" Hermione gushed, "They're awarding us with the Order of Merlin, First Class!"

Ginny's eyes widened. "Harry!" she yelled, launching herself and her boyfriend and giving him a large congratulatory kiss. "That's really, really great!"

Harry grinned down at her, obviously appreciative of the kiss. "Yeah, it's great," he said, but Ginny could tell from his eyes that he wasn't as excited as he ought to be.

"What's wrong?" she said quietly. "You're an open book, Potter."

Harry set her down, looked over her shoulder, searching Ron, Hermione and Mrs. Weasley's faces. His brow furrowed. "Well, is it really such a big deal?"

"Yes!" Ron and Hermione cried in unison.

"Harry," Hermione added slowly, "We know you don't really like the Ministry…."

"Hell, I _hate_ the Ministry," Ron cut in.

"But," Hermione continued, not even glancing at Ron, "this is a _really_, really big deal. I mean, this award's been given out for ages to the wizards that really make big advances. I mean, _Merlin_ was the first recipient!"

Ginny looked up and saw Harry grin at Hermione's earnestness, but he still looked slightly unsure. "Harry," she said softly, thinking she knew the root of Harry's reluctance, "This isn't about Scrimgouer trying to get you to be his poster-boy." Harry looked down at her, his eyes questioning, and she knew she had guessed correctly. "This award isn't the Minister giving out favours or bribing famous witches and wizards, it's about what you've done for the Wizarding World and what you've accomplished. Hell Harry," she added, grinning, "You wouldn't even give Witch Weekly a quote when they named you Most Eligible Bachelor. You've got to let everyone thank you somehow!"

Harry seemed to consider for a moment, but Ginny already knew she'd succeeded from the look in his eyes. "Alright then," he said, smiling happily and putting an arm around Ginny's shoulder, "I guess it is pretty darn exciting."

"Thank you!" Ron said, "For a minute there I thought you were gonna make us boycott the whole thing. Then I would have had to punch some sense into you."

"Ron!" Hermione laughed, swatting him lightly on the arm.

Meanwhile, Mrs. Weasley seemed to have regained her prior enthusiasm. "Oh, this is just _so_ wonderful!" she said, her eyes glistening. She walked over to kiss Harry on the cheek. "We'll have everyone home so we can all go to the ceremony together and have a big congratulatory dinner afterwards. I'll cook absolutely _everything_," she said, already walking towards the kitchen to retrieve her famous recipe box. On the way she paused to kiss Ron and Hermione as well. "Oh, the ceremony's in two weeks, that's hardly enough time! And Hermione dear," she added, "We really ought to invite your parents as well. I'll write them. I'm sure they'll be absolutely thrilled."

"That sounds lovely, Mum," Hermione replied, "They don't know what the Order of Merlin is exactly," she added thoughtfully, "But I'm sure they'll be really happy once I explain it to them."

"Oh, how could they not be?" Mrs. Weasley said, giving Hermione another kiss on the cheek for good measure. And with that, she disappeared into the kitchen, leaving Ron, Hermione, Harry, and Ginny behind her.

"So," Ron said after a few moments of contented silence, "Do you all want to go out for dinner? I don't think Mum's gonna let us back into the kitchen for the whole two weeks."

"Yeah," Hermione said quickly, "Let's go to Diagon Alley. Ginny and I have some dress shopping to do for the ceremony."

Ginny grinned as Hermione grabbed hold of her arm and linked their elbows. "Yeah," she conceded, "I can't exactly go to such a prestigious ceremony in old robes."

"Of course not," Hermione said, as though the very thought shocked her beyond belief. "I think I saw the perfect thing for you the last time I was there. It will go absolutely beautifully with your skin," she said, so quickly and enthusiastically that Ginny had to listen very hard to understand her. Ginny turned around – Hermione was already dragging her towards the fireplace – and caught Harry's highly amused expression. He winked at her, and she grinned.

o.o

A few minutes later, the four of them were sitting at a booth in the Three Broomsticks, Ron already having ordered them a considerable amount of Butterbeer and food.

"I can't believe your parents are coming over," Ron said, cutting in on a totally unrelated conversation. The other three turned to him, momentarily confused.

"Wow, you've been thinking about that all this time, haven't you mate?" Harry grinned, taking a swig of his drink.

Ron scowled at him and turned to Hermione. "Your parents hate me."

Hermione rolled her eyes. "They don't hate you, Ron. They met you _once_ a whole three years ago. They barely know you. They got a first impression and that's it."

Ginny snorted. "I have a feeling it's the first impression that Ron's worried about."

Hermione shrugged, sipping daintily at her own Butterbeer. "True, he didn't exactly make the best first impression. But I'm sure they've gotten over it."

"Wait," Harry cut in, "when did you meet her parents?"

Ron looked petulant. "I went to pick her up from her house the summer we left to find old Voldy. And," he said, turning to Hermione, "thanks for saying I made a bad first impression. That's doing loads for my confidence."

"Oh, come on, Ron!" Hermione said, rolling her eyes again. Ginny glanced at Harry, who glanced back, his expression just as amused. "You're not going to sit there and tell me you thought you made a _good_ impression."

"I know I made a horrible impression, but you don't have to rub it in!"

"What'd you do, Ron?" Ginny teased. Ron glared at her.

"Well," Hermione said, smiling at the memory. Ron turned his glare on her, but she continued, utterly unfazed. "Well, my parents figured out we liked eachother right away. Come to think of it, Ron," she said thoughtfully, "we weren't very subtle."

Harry and Ginny both snorted. "No, you weren't," they said in unison, then looked at eachother and broke into laughter.

"_Anyway_," Hermione continued, "my dad, being the overprotective dentist father that he is, decided to sit Ron here down and give him the third degree."

Ginny laughed outright. "And I'm guessing he failed with flying colours," she teased.

"Exactly," Ron admitted, looking sheepish. But he looked just as amused as the rest of them at the memory, though his cheeks were a rather bright shade of pink.

"My dad asked him the customary, 'Now son, tell me why you like my daughter,' and Ron, oh tactless, lovable Ron, said…."

"Okay, okay," Ron cut in, face turning redder by the second. "I said a whole bunch of things about how smart she is and how she makes me laugh. You've got to understand, I was really flustered. He was glaring at me with this really piercing gaze and it was actually really frightening. And so I…um…I accidentally happened to mention that I…um…," he paused.

"Well?" Harry said, "Spit it out, mate!"

"I said I liked when she wore low-cut shirts, okay?!" Ron said finally.

"What!?" Ginny almost yelled as Hermione collapsed into fits of laughter. She looked around, noticing that several people had turned to look at them. She quieted her voice. "You told Hermione's _father_ that you liked her cleavage!?"

Ron was now an impossible shade of red. "Yeah, and then I tried to take it back, which was probably infinitely more mortifying."

"Well, I can't say I'm surprised," Harry managed to say between fits of laughter, "Ron always did have a thing for Hermione's chest."

At this Ginny succumbed to laughter and the four of them sat at the table for some mintues, gripping their stomachs in mirth-induced agony.

"And now," Ron said finally, "I've gone and gotten you pregnant. How am I supposed to explain _that_ one to your parents?"

"Honestly, Ron, I have no idea."

"Wait, they do know you're pregnant, right?" Ginny said warily. If they didn't, she had a feeling it was going to be a very awkward dinner.

"Yeah, they do. But I think Ron here is going to get another interrogation. And I don't think it's going to be very comfortable."

"Well, stop aggravating it and tell me what to do!" Ron broke in.

"Just tell them," Harry said seriously, "that you really love their daughter and that you knew fromm the first day you met her that you wanted to marry her and you'd had the ring in your pocket for ages but just couldn't work up the nerve to ask her. Trust me, say that and it'll all work out fine."

"Aww, Harry," Ginny said, "You're such a closet romantic." She leaned over and kissed him gently on the lips.

"I do try," he grinned as she pulled away.

Ginny glanced at Ron; he was eyeing them suspiciously. "You seem to have that I-got-your-daughter-pregnant-speech worked out pretty well, Potter," he said finally, fixing Harry with a death-glare. "You and my sister wouldn't be getting up to anything that might one day require you to use it, would you?"

"No!"

"Ron!"

Harry and Ginny yelled in unison, both their jaws dropping in shock. Ginny glanced at Harry and felt her cheeks burning up at the suggestion.

Glancing across the table, she saw Hermione chuckle in amusement.

"Good," Ron said. "Very good. Let's keep it that way, shall we?"

**A/N: Happy New Year! I hope you liked this chapter. It's uber-long and was extremely fun to write. Just a few things I wanted to discuss:**

**1. I know some of the humour got a bit more racy that usual in this chapter, which I hope is okay. Things are going to be heating up between Harry and Ginny in the next few chapters. I really feel like they're at a point in their relationship where they would be joking around with this sort of thing and challenging eachother to see how shocked they can make the other person. But don't worry – I'll be keeping this within the limits of what you might see in a teen movie. I hope none of you are offended, but if a lot of you are, I can definitely tone it down.**

**2. And I know this was a connector chapter and pretty plotless, but I really enjoyed playing around with the banter and setting up some stuff for the future.**

**Coming up in the next few chapters will be: the Order of Merlin ceremony, some HarryGinny fluff and stuff, the big dinner with Hermione's parents, and some other stuff that I'm keeping under wraps for now.**

**3. Looking back on previous chapters, I think I've been messing up everyone's age and the years of this story. If Ginny was entering her 6****th**** year when Harry left, the trio would only have been gone 2 years (her 6****th**** and 7****th**** year) in order for her to be starting her first year teaching right out of school. Right? And I've been saying 3 years all along. Well, at this point, the amount of time they were gone doesn't have much bearing on the story, so please forgive the mistake. We'll just keep to the fact that Ginny is 18 and Harry, Ron,, and Hermione are all 19. Hope this doesn't seriously bother anyone. I guess I couldn't count when I started writing this. :)**

**4. And finally, THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU for all the lovely fic recommendations! I've started reading some really amazing stories thanks to all of you. You're great – and keep the recommendations coming! There are some **_**really**_** good stories out there – puts my fic to shame!**


	28. Order of Merlin, First Class

**A/N: I'll keep it short so you can get to reading – enjoy!**

**Chapter 28**

**Order of Merlin, First Class**

Ginny stood in her room, gazing with a rather shocked expression at her reflection. Hermione had transformed all of the walls into floor-to-ceiling mirrors, and so, every way she turned, Ginny saw a woman who vaguely resembled herself but was infinitely more sophisticated.

"You. Look. Gorgeous," Hermione said, standing behind Ginny's shoulder. "I was _so_ absolutely right about that dress."

"Yes, you were," said Fleur, coming up behind Ginny's other shoulder.

The two weeks between dinner at The Three Broomsticks and the Order of Merlin ceremony had passed so quickly that Ginny was sure she had barely blinked. And now, her entire family – all of her brothers (save Percy) and their respective girlfriends, wives, and dates – was crowded into the Burrow. It was a Friday, and Harry and Ginny had Floo'd to the Burrow right after the last class of the day at three o' clock. They had soon discovered that Mr. Weasley wouldn't be home from the Ministry until five, and that Mrs. Weasley was holed up in the kitchen putting the finishing touches on the feast planned for after the ceremony. Bill and Fleur, however, had both gotten off early from work at Gringotts, and had gotten to the Burrow just before Harry and Ginny.

As soon as the Floo dust had cleared, Hermione and Fleur had caught Ginny by both wrists and proceeded to drag her upstairs for what Fleur called "Girl Preparation Time." Ginny had tried to protest, arguing that they had three hours before the Ministry cars were scheduled to pick them all up, but to no avail. "You zink zat three hours is going to be enough?" Fleur had returned fiercely, "For somezing as important as zis, we ought to have started at noon!" Ginny had had barely enough time to give Harry a frightened look over her shoulder, catch his highly-amused grin and thumbs up, and glare at him before she was swept away.

They had started with Hermione, who was actually going to receive the Order of Merlin and so was obviously the most important woman of the evening. She had been measured by Madam Malkin herself for a custom-made dress during their visit to Diagon Alley two weeks ago. The dress was a light gold colour, which brought out unexpected gold flecks in Hermione's eyes. It bundled nicely under Hermione's chest (the thought of which sent Hermione and Ginny into fits of laughter after Ron's "third degree confession" from two weeks before) and empire-waisted over her pregnant belly. "You look as pretty as you did at the Yule Ball in your Fourth Year," Ginny had commented as Fleur carefully straightened Hermione's unruly curls.

"That was the year Ron realized I was a girl," Hermione had recalled thoughtfully.

"Well, I don't zink zat he has any doubts about zat now," Fleur had laughed, running her wand over another section of hair, and they had all laughed again.

Next they had gotten Fleur dressed. They hadn't done much more than zip her into her dress, because Fleur was always beautiful to the point of perfection. Over the years since Bill's wedding, Ginny had grown fond of her only sister-in-law. She figured it had as much to do with the fact that she herself was older and wiser as it did with the fact that Fleur had proven more serious, kind, and well-meaning than Ginny had expected. In any case, Fleur's dress was a very pale blue, with more layers and flowing material than Ginny would have been comfortable wearing. But she had to admit, Fleur looked beautiful, as usual.

Finally they had come to Ginny, who had protested being fussed over. Hermione and Fleur, however, would hear none of it. And now, here she was, staring in shock at the mirror. Ginny had to agree with them – whatever Hermione and Fleur had done, it had…transformed her. And she had to admit, it was a pretty nice transformation.

Her dress was a bright emerald green. Ginny's first thought upon seeing it in the shop window had been of Harry's eyes. It was satin, and it draped blithely over Ginny's frame, clinging flatteringly over her thin waist and hips. It fell all the way to the ground, hiding the simple green heels that, combined with the clingy satin, made her legs look like they went on forever, despite her petite frame. The dress had the slightest of satin trains, which Ginny was resignedly sure she would trip over at some point during the upcoming night, and a very thin-strapped halter. Ginny was a little self-conscious and slightly worried about her parent's and brothers' reactions to the back of the dress, or rather, lack thereof. Her entire back was bare, all the way down to the small of her back. Hermione and Fleur had agreed wholeheartedly that they ought to take full advantage of this effect, and had swept her hair (which, loose, would have covered nearly all of the bare skin) across her forehead, gathering it in an casually elegant bun at the back of her neck.

"Ginny, we barely need to do anything with your face. You've got a really good complexion," Hermione sighed. "Was I right about how well this dress would go with your skin, or was I right?"

"Well, there's no arguing with pure genius," Ginny smiled. She realized that, next to the pale colours of Hermione and Fleur's dresses, the bright emerald stood out. She was a little uncomfortable with that – this was Hermione's night, after all.

"Harry iz not going to be able to keep his 'ands off you," Fleur grinned. Hermione laughed, nodding vigorously. Ginny flushed.

"Well, it's nearly 5:45," Hermione said finally. "We'd better go down. My parents are going to be here any minute, and they're never late."

"I can believe that," Ginny laughed, turning her back on the mirror. "Let's go down."

As soon as they opened the door, which Fleur had earlier Muffliato'd while muttering that their work required quiet, they could heard the bustle and loud conversation filtering up from downstairs. "Is everyone here already?" Hermione said as they left the room.

"I would guess so," Ginny said, "Let's see, there's Dad, Mum, Harry, Ron, Bill, the three of us…I think Fred and George brought Katie and Alicia, and…erm…Charlie's coming stag I think – he'll probably end up finding someone he knows at the ceremony. Pretty popular guy, Charlie."

Hermione grinned. "Probably wanting to keep his options open."

Fleur and Ginny laughed. "Well, zat iz Charlie, after all."

By this time they had reached the top of the stairs. They started down, Ginny staring determinedly at her feet. She was _not_ going to trip this early into the evening.

_I will not trip. I will not trip. I will not trip._ She repeated this mantra to herself over and over, carefully watching each heel touch the stair before putting weight on it. She also concentrated on not trodding on Fleur's flowy dress. Well, at least Hermione and Fleur were in front of her, she though wryly, they could at least partially catch her if she toppled. _Would probably be dominos instead,_ her pessimistic brain thought. Ginny frowned and shook the thought quickly from her head. She wasn't really used to wearing heels. It was Quidditch shoes and mud for her, most of the time.

She suddenly realized that there were no more steps in front of her. They had reached the parlor. And all talking had ceased. Ginny looked up. All the boys and their dates were splayed out over the parlor chairs and couches. And they were all looking wide-eyed at the three girls before them.

"Well, would you look at that," said Charlie, breaking the silence.

Ginny heard Fred…or was it George? Ginny couldn't tell at the moment; she was feeling that sudden rush of slight embarassment. Well, in any case, _one of them_, wolf whistled.

"Well, come on!" Bill said, "Let's see the lady of the hour!"

"Yeah," Fred (yes, it was definitely Fred) said, "Harry and Ron here are boring."

Ginny looked at Hermione and saw the girl blush a little, then grin widely, and do a playful spin.

"Gorgeous, per usual," Ron said, beaming at his fiance.

"Why, thank you, Ron!" Hermione said, walking over to him.

"Yes, Ron," commented George, "How did you pick up one like that, eh?"

"Animal magnetism," Ron shot back, grinning. They all laughed.

"And Fleur, dear, you're stunning," gushed Mrs. Weasley, and Fleur smiled coyly, waving away the compliment graciously.

"But, would you just look at Ginny. Have you ever seen her zat pretty?" Fleur said, moving to aside. Ginny hadn't realized she'd been standing behind Fleur, mostly shielded from view. But now that Fleur had moved, she was under the microscope. She grinned. All her brothers' jaws had dropped. Ginny snorted, barely swallowing outright laughter. Barely.

"What?" she said coyly, "Never seen a dress before?"

"Not on you!" George practically yelled.

"Ron has. Yule Ball, my third year. Although, as I recall, he was fixated on Hermione."

They all laughed appreciatively. Ron didn't even wince. "Ah, too true," he conceded, and Hermione gave him a peck on the cheek.

"And you didn't look like _that_," Ginny heard Harry mumble quietly.

"What was that, Harry?" Ginny teased.

"Er…nothing," Harry said, turning slightly pink as all eyes turned on him. "I mean…well, you look very nice, Gin," he finished. Ginny grinned at him, and she saw her mum's smile widen.

Ginny walked over to Harry and perched herself on the arm of the couch. The conversation started up again, but Ginny noticed several of her brothers sending covert glances her way, as if trying to decide if they approved or not. Harry half stood to whisper in her ear.

"You look _really_ beautiful," he breathed. Ginny felt the hairs on her arm stand on end at the closeness of Harry's lips to her ear.

"Thanks," she said, trying to keep her voice steady. Harry obviously noticed her stiffen. _Damn him and his powers of observation._ Ginny could almost sense him grinning evilly.

Harry put his arm over the armrest, deliberately skimming her bare back with his hand as he did so. It was the lightest of touches, but Ginny felt it like a burn. At the same time, he leaned up to whisper in her ear. "Hot as hell, too."

Ginny felt herself shiver involuntarily. And so, as revenge, she slid from the armrest and plopped herself, without warning, into his lap.

"Mmph," he groaned as her weight hit him unexpectedly. Ginny brushed a curl of hair behind her ear nonchalantly. "Comfortable?" Harry managed finally.

"Very," Ginny said primly.

"Hey, what is Ginny doing in your lap, Harry?" George said suddenly from across the room. The whole parlor quieted and suddenly everyone was staring at them. Ginny didn't have to look to know that Harry was blushing furiously by now. But she didn't get up.

"I put myself here," she said easily, "More comfortable."

"Yeah, I'll bet," said Fred. Ginny saw Ron looking at them, expression carefully blank, and both Hermione and Fleur looking bemused and something else…self-satisfied? What was that about?

Just then, the doorbell rang. And everyone was distracted as Hermione walked over to the door. Ron had blanched.

"Mum! Dad! You found it!" Hermione said as she opened the door. "I wanted to send someone out to bring you over. Probably would've been easier."

"Oh, don't worry about it, dear," said a woman as Hermione ushered two people inside, "We wanted to take in some of the scenic countryside. And anyway, your directions were impeccable."

"Very specific," said a man, "That's my girl!"

"And oh! You look so beautiful," said the woman, "You're glowing!" And the woman patted Hermione's stomach. Ginny couldn't help but sigh in relief. Hermione hadn't been lying – at least her parents knew she was pregnant.

Then the couple finally turned around, and Mrs. Weasley hurried forward, followed closely by Mr. Weasley and a very wary looking Ron.

"This oughta be good," Ginny heard someone behind her – Charlie, she thought – mumble.

Ginny turned and whispered as subtly as she could in Harry's ear. "Poor, poor Ronald." Harry's eyes twinkled with silent laughter.

"You must be Mr. and Mrs. Granger! It's so nice to finally meet you. I'm Molly Weasley, and this is my husband Arthur," Mrs. Weasley was saying.

"Well, Harry, what do you think about the Gryffindor Quidditch team this year?" Ginny said loudly, prompting everyone else to start their conversations back up again.

Harry caught on. "Well, I dunno – I think Cooper's definitely improving. Maybe we could give him some tips sometime."

"Oh, yeah, that sounds good," Ginny replied, glancing around. Everyone else seemed to have caught on as well, making a good show of giving Mr. and Mrs. Weasley, Ron, Hermione, and the Grangers some privacy.

"The cars are here!" Bill said finally.

"Oh, thank God," Harry breathed as Ginny stood up off his lap.

"Harry Potter! What's that supposed to mean?" Ginny said, turning on him in mock anger.

"Oh, nothing," Harry grinned, but as they followed everyone to the door, Harry turned and whispered in Ginny's ear, "It was taking all my control to keep from snogging you senseless in front of your whole family."

Ginny smiled coyly back, "Well, if you'd like to lose an ear or two to my brothers, be my guest, Potter." Harry laughed.

The short walk to the Ministry cars made Ginny regret her dress' lack of a back. But then Harry placed a warm hand around her waist, steering her to the first car, and Ginny suddenly felt extremely warm.

She, Harry, Ron, and Hermione shared the front car, which had an impossibly spacious back seat and tinted windows. "Are you sure I should be in here with you?" Ginny hesitated as the Ministry official held open the door, "I mean, you guys are the ones receiving the award."

"Yes," Hermione said, sighing exasperatedly, "but you're Harry's date. The dates always stay with the honoree!"

"Oh," said Ginny, "Right."

"Where exactly are we going?" Harry asked as the cars started away from the Burrow.

"No idea," Ron shrugged.

"The Ministry's always really secretive about these things. Only a handful of Ministry officials know the exact location. Everyone else gets driven there or sent a Portkey," Hermione explained.

"How're your parents?" Ginny said conversationally.

"They're fine. I was worried they wouldn't be able to find the place, but I think your Mum lowered the wards around the house for a specific space of time or something," Hermione replied thoughtfully.

"I'm scared for dinner," Ron said. "Your dad looked like he wanted to start questioning me then and there. But then Bill said the cars had come."

Hermione laughed. "At least try to enjoy yourself until then, Ron," she said soothingly, running a hand up and down Ron's arm. "They're not _that_ bad."

"If you say so," Ron mumbled.

"Anyway, I explained to them about the Order of Merlin," Hermione continued, "And that all three of us are getting the First Class, you included, so they must know you can't be _all_ bad if you're getting the highest Wizarding honour."

Ron looked a little appeased by this. "Yeah, I guess so."

"Good, then relax," Hermione said shortly.

o.o

Some minutes later, all four were laughing at something Ron had said, and the car rolled to a stop. Ginny caught Harry glancing rather nervously at her, and took his hand to squeeze it. Someone opened the car door, and the four of them were suddenly accosted by noise and bright lights.

A whole host of photographers lined a pathway into a huge, majestic-looking stone building. All of the photographers and some skimpily-clad women that Ginny could only assume were gossip reporters were yelling loudly to get their attention, but as they stepped from the car, a Ministry official ushered them quickly into the building.

"Phew," Ron said as they passed under a large arch and away from the press, "That was intense."

"Wow," said Hermione as they entered the building, "It looks like the Ministry really wants to impress us." They had entered into a large, high-ceilinged ballroom, which was filled with people. On one side were dozens of round tables and a stage draped in dark blue fabric. Each table was surrounded by several chairs and had gorgeous floral arrangements as centrepieces. The right side of the room had been left open as a dance floor, with an area set up for a live band.

"Wow is right," Ginny breathed, and felt Harry squeeze her hand in agreement.

"And here are our guests of honour!" called a voice over the throng, and they saw Rufus Scrimgouer approach them through the crowds of people. Ginny felt Harry stiffen beside her and rubbed the back of his hand with her fingers in reassurance.

At Scrimgouer's announcement, nearly everyone in the room had turned, and people started cheering good-naturedly. "Well deserved indeed," Scrimgouer said, grinning as he came up to them. "So good of you to come, Harry," he shook Harry's free hand. "And Miss Granger, Mr. Weasley," he nodded to Ron and Hermione. "The Wizarding World has been wanting to thank you for quite some time."

Ginny could feel from Harry's tenseness that a retort was on his lips, but he replied cordially enough. "Thank you, Minister, the three of us certainly appreciate it.

"Yes," said Hermione quickly, obviously noticing how uncomfortable Harry was, "It's really amazing what you've done here," she gestured widely to the decorations.

"Why thank you, dear," Scrimgouer said, smiling widely, "No expense spared for the Saviours of the Wizarding World, eh?"

Ron and Hermione laughed rather uncomfortably. "Well," Scrimgouer said finally, "It's selfish of me to keep you all to myself, isn't it? Of course, please mingle. We'll start the ceremony in about half an hour."

Ginny, Harry, Ron, and Hermione spent the half hour moving throughout the room. Ginny felt a little ill at ease standing beside the Golden Trio as they received congratulations and appreciation from everyone in the room, but Harry slid his arm around her waist and leaned down to whisper in her ear, "Stay, please." Ginny smiled encouragely at him and he grinned back.

Ginny could tell Harry was rather uncomfortable accepting all this praise; he had always stayed away from the public spotlight. She could see the beginnings of a wince in his temple every time someone told him how grateful everyone was and how brave he had always been, but she was sure she was the only one who noticed. She found Harry's shyness infinitely endearing. And she never got tired of hearing him introduce her as his girlfriend.

"You know," she said finally, unable to keep herself from teasing. She stood a bit taller to whisper in his ear, "You're sexy when you're being all…uncomfortable and shy."

Harry grinned and rubbed his hand in a discrete circle across her bare back. He leaned down to whisper back, "You're not so bad yourself, Weasley."

o.o

The ceremony itself went as expected. A Ministry official timidly mounted the stage and, pointing his wand at his throat to project his voice, requested that they all take their seats. Once everyone was settled, with Harry, Ron, Hermione, the Weasleys and the Grangers at the head table, Scrimgouer came onstage amidst much appreciative applause.

He smiled indulgently, waving away the applause. Ginny resisted the urge to roll her eyes. The Minister was definitely enjoying the attention. Finally, he began.

"Thank you, thank you," he cleared his throat. "Friends and colleagues, as you all know, we are here today to recognize three of the most renowned and talented wizards certainly of our time, perhaps in wizarding history."

"That's you," Ginny whispered in Harry's ear. He smiled down at her. Ginny saw her mother dabbing her eyes out of the corner of her eye.

"They are responsible for defeating the self-proclaimed Dark Lord, Lord…," here Scrimgouer paused, as though still a little uncomfortable with the name, "Lord Voldemort on numerous occasions. Only a few months ago, they permanently freed the Wizarding World of the threat that Lord Voldemort posed to everything we know and stand for by defeating him and many of his most prominent followers in a final battle. What is perhaps most extraordinary is the fact that our three guests of honour tonight did so of their own initiative and utilizing only the talents that they acquired with only six years of education at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Their ultimate success attests to their great magical talent and strength of character and purpose. They are each only nineteen years of age, and yet the have achieved much more than wizards four times their age ever dreamed of accomplishing in a lifetime. The Wizarding World owes a great and incalculable debt to these three wizards for all that they have already accomplished in their lives and for all they have done to save wizards everywhere from tyranny and oppression. It is for these reasons that I am truly honoured to present Harry James Potter, Ronald Bilius Weasley, and Hermione Jane Granger with the Order of Merlin, First Class, so that they may join the ranks of all of the wizards and witches who have created a better world for all of us to live in. Would our three honorees join me on stage, please?"

At this, the entire room – hundreds of people at least – stood up and burst into applause. Ginny extricated her hands from where Harry had clasped them in his lap and nodded, feeling unbidden tears of happiness come to her eyes as Harry, Ron, and Hermione stood and made their way onto the stage.

Ginny clapped just as enthusiastically as everyone else as the Trio received their Orders of Merlin from a grinning Scrimgouer. She knew that, for Harry at least, the reward had been in coming home and in having a family – the Weasleys – to congratulate and fuss over him, but she also knew that this award signified that the Ministry and the Wizarding World at large recognized what Harry, Hermione, and Ron had accomplished. Ginny heard her mother sob out of happiness as Ron received his award at winked toward their table.

o.o

Some minutes later all the hubbub had died down, and Harry, Ron, and Hermione had returned to their table. At the far side of the room, the live band was starting up and couples were beginning to migrate to the dance floor. Mrs. Weasley gave all three of them a large kiss on the cheek before grabbing their sashes and medals and sending them back to the Burrow.

"You are _not_ going to spill Firewhiskey on that sash, Ronald Weasley!" Mrs. Weasley chided when Ron began to protest, but then she pulled him into another compulsive hug.

"Congratulations, Mr. Order of Merlin," Ginny grinned as Harry came up beside her.

"Do I get a congratulatory kiss?" Harry replied hopefully.

Ginny paused, seeming to consider. "Well, I suppose…," she began, but Harry beat her to it. He pulled her in around the waist and kissed her full on the lips.

"Whoa there, Potter, tone it down," called Ron.

"Yeah, we're in public!" grinned George good-naturedly as Harry released her.

"Let's dance, Ron," Hermione was saying. Ron looked wary.

"You know I can't dance."

"Well, you've never tried properly. Come on, it's rude not to dance at your own ceremony," Hermione said, giving Ron what Ginny recognized as the foolproof puppy-dog look.

"If you say so," Ron conceded, and Hermione grabbed his hand.

"May I have this dance, Ginny Weasley?" Harry said formally, taking Ginny's hand.

"You certainly may," Ginny said, curtseying a little and watching Harry's eyes twinkle in humour.

"And keep your hands where we can see 'em, Potter," Bill said jokingly as Harry pulled Ginny toward him.

Harry led her out onto the dance floor and they began to sway to the music. Ginny laughed as Harry spun her. "Who taught you to do that?" she grinned.

"McGonagall," Harry said seriously, "Before the Yule Ball in Fourth Year. You know, Ron suggested I go with you, but Hermione said someone had already asked you."

"That would have been Neville," Ginny smiled at the memory. "I didn't know you wanted to ask me," she added thoughtfully.

"Truthfully? I didn't at the time, but I was really desperate for a date."

"Ouch!" Ginny said, swatting at him with her hand. "Wow, Potter, you really know how to make a girl feel good."

"No, no! I mean, I hadn't realized how wonderful you are. And it was too late to ask you anyway."

"Your loss," said Ginny petulently as Harry pulled her closer to him.

"Definitely," he whispered in her ear, "My loss."

"Hmph," Ginny pouted.

"So, how much are _you_ dreading dinner with Hermione's parents?"

Ginny brightened at the thought. "Oh, Ron is going to be squirming!" she laughed.

"Yeah, I think we need an escape plan," Harry said, whispering conspiratorially.

They both thought for a moment.

"Eureka!" Ginny said finally, "I got it! I'll say I've just remembered I'm allergic to…ham...and I've got to get to St. Mungo's immediately!"

"And you'll take me with you?" Harry laughed, voice hopeful.

"Of course! Would I leave a man behind? I'll say I need you to Side-Apparate me."

They both laughed heartily, imagining their moment of escape. Then, as Harry, wiped tears of mirth from his eyes, he said, almost as a passing thought, "I love you, Ginny Weasley."

Ginny stiffened. He'd said it so nonchalantly that Ginny wasn't sure he'd realized…. Harry obviously felt her tense up a little, and he looked down at her questioningly, his brow suddenly creasing, as if he was worried he'd said the wrong thing.

Ginny grinned, "You love _me_, or you love my fake allergy to ham and my willingness to help you escape?"

Harry laughed. "Both."

"Good," Ginny smiled, suddenly feeling a wave of contentedness hit her. She leaned her head against Harry's chest and felt his hand come up to gently stroke her hair. "Well, I love you too, Harry Potter," she breathed, "And any fake allergies you may have."

**A/N: I had planned on having more in this chapter, but it just felt right ending it where I did. Therefore, the next chapter will have two (instead of just one) of the scenes that I've been desperately looking forward to writing. This also means that the next chapter will probably be up in the next day or so, because I'm really, really excited about those two scenes!**

**This chapter was incredibly fun to write as well. I think I may have gotten carried away in describing the dresses (Ginny's especially), but I think it's just the girlie-girl fighting for a voice. :) In any case, tell me what you thought!**


	29. Keep Your Shirt On, Potter!

**A/N: See? I told you I'd have this to you in record time! And, for the record, remedying the Percy issue doesn't have much plot significance – I just couldn't bear to keep him estranged when JK made him so heroic later. **

**And fair warning – there's a pretty descriptive snogging scene in this, which I hope doesn't offend anyone. I'll put '' before and after it, so if you want to skip over it, be my guest. Don't worry, though – it stays within teen-movie limits.**

**Enjoy – this is my favourite chapter so far!**

**Chapter 29**

**Keep Your Shirt On, Potter!**

_Ginny grinned, "You love me, or you love my fake allergy to ham and my willingness to help you escape?"_

_Harry laughed. "Both."_

"_Good," Ginny smiled, suddenly feeling a wave of contentedness hit her. She leaned her head against Harry's chest and felt his hand come up to gently stroke her hair. "Well, I love you too, Harry Potter," she breathed, "And any fake allergies you may have."_

o.o

They continued to dance. Neither of them commented on the fact that they'd just said "I love you" – out loud – to _eachother_, but Ginny felt Harry's hands tighten ever so slightly around her waist, pulling her as close as possible, and she smiled.

"Ginny," Harry said softly. "Ginny, look, it's Percy."

Ginny's head snapped up. Ever since that fateful day when Scrimgouer had visited the Burrow so many years before, Percy had remained estranged from the family. At this point, Ginny had the feeling that, on both sides, it was only pride, no longer real anger, that kept Percy away. Ginny turned her head and watched as Percy approached her parents where they sat at the table with Bill, Fleur, Charlie, and the Grangers. Charlie's face flushed in anger, but Bill held him back with a hand on his arm. Percy cleared his throat, hesitating, then said a few words, his face quickly shedding its usual disdainful expression for one of earnestness. And then, quite suddenly, Mrs. Weasley's face crumpled in a happy sob, and she drew Percy to her in a bone-crushing hug. Percy was looking over Mrs. Weasley's shoulder to his father and brothers, his expression worried now. Mr. Weasley finally smiled and patted Percy's back and Bill grinned widely. Charlie said something, shaking a finger at his younger brother. Percy smiled and nodded vigorously, and Charlie gave him a good-natured pat on the back as well. Mr. and Mrs. Granger looked utterly bewildered, but made a good show of hiding it as Mrs. Weasley, still grinning and with tears of joy filling her eyes, introduced Percy to them.

Ginny looked up to see that Harry was looking at her expectantly. "Erm," he said uncertainly, "Did you want to…."

"Let's go," Ginny said, grasping Harry's hand and marching over to the table. She stopped right in front of Percy, hand on hip. Percy stopped short, his smile faltering at the scowl on Ginny's face.

"Hi, Ginny," he said, utterly cowed in the face of his glaring little sister. He smiled nervously.

"You prat!" Ginny hissed. And she gave him a resounding slap across the face.

"Ginny!" Mrs. Weasley cried.

"Ouch!" Percy exclaimed, his hand jumping to his cheek. The side of his face was quickly turning a delicate shade of pink.

"Percy Weasley," Ginny sighed, "You are the greatest prat I have _ever_ met…," she paused, "But I _knew_ you'd come around eventually!" And with that, she jumped, wrapping her arms around her brother's neck. Percy patted Ginny's back in obvious relief. Ginny released him, and pointed a warning finger at him. "Don't you ever, _ever_ leave us again!"

Percy burst into unexpected laughter. "I won't, little sis," he said affectionately, pinching her cheek, "I won't."

Just then, Ron, Hermione, Fred, and George came up, obviously having just abandoned the dance floor as well.

"What in Merlin's name is going on here?" Ron said. "We just saw Ginny slap Percy," he continued, pointedly ignoring the fact that Percy was standing right in front of him.

"And we wanted to see if we could come join the fun," Fred said, grinning.

Percy gave a weak smile before cutting in. "I just came over to apologize," he said formally. "It seems I was wrong…about a lot of things."

Whatever they had thought had been happening, Ron, Hermione, and the twins obviously hadn't been expecting that. They were all momentarily stunned into silence.

"Percy," Ron said finally, and for once the twins didn't interrupt, "You have been wrong about a whole lot more that 'a lot of things.' You are the absolute greatest git I have ever met…." He stopped for a moment, then rolled his eyes and sighed. "_But_, you are our brother, after all, and you've obviously taken your swollen head out of your arse…."

"Ronald!" Mrs. Weasley hissed, scandalized, glancing at the Grangers. Ron followed her gaze and blanched a little.

"Well, in any case," he remedied, "You've obviously seen the error of your ways, so I guess we've no choice but to forgive you."

"And seeing as Ginny's already slapped you across the face, there's not much left for us to do," George added.

There was a pause in which everyone looked at eachother and Mrs. Weasley beamed.

"Well, thank you…for that," Percy said awkwardly after a moment, "Well, I'd better be getting back. The job, you know," he shrugged. "But congratulations to you, Harry, Ron, Hermione," he said quickly. "And thank you and all that. You've really outdone yourselves," he smiled.

"Thanks, Percy," Hermione smiled. Ginny knew that Hermione recognized how hard it was for Percy to compliment anyone.

Percy turned away, but Ron stopped him. "You know, Perce," he said, shortening the name in an affectionate way that made Ginny smile, "We're having a sort of congratulatory dinner back home tonight. If you wanted to…erm…join us, I'm sure Mum's cooked enough food. But only if you're not…you know…working," he finished.

Percy turned back, and his face suddenly broke into a beaming grin. Ginny knew he had been hoping that someone would stop him from leaving, and she determined to give Ron a kiss later for being such a big person. "Work can wait," Percy grinned. "I'd love to come to dinner!"

"Oh, wonderful!" Mrs. Weasley broke in, giving Percy another hug. "Come sit, you look overworked, dear! Come tell your father and I all about what you've been doing – all these years, my goodness!" She pulled Percy into a chair, and he beamed in a very un-Percy-ish way.

"Well, that was unexpected," Harry whispered in her ear, and Ginny was suddenly very aware that Harry was standing behind her, and his arms were wrapped around her front, pulling her against his chest. She suddenly felt very, very warm. And reckless.

"Yes, it was," she said absentmindedly, "You know," she said, "I'm feeling a little faint. Too much excitement, I guess," she said quickly as Harry's expression turned concerned. "Come outside with me?"

She saw the question in Harry's eyes, and she smiled sweetly. "Of course," Harry said.

Ginny extricated herself from Harry's arms and made a move toward the front entrance.

"Oh, no," Percy called over to them, noticing the direction of their movement from where he was sitting, "That way's full of press. There's another door that way, leads out into a courtyard. This is a hotel, did you know?"

"Is it really?" Mrs. Weasley said, obviously determined to keep her son talking.

"Oh, yes," Percy flushed with knowledge, "It was built in…."

"Come on," Ginny said, grabbing Harry's hand and pulling him in the direction Percy had pointed. She practically dragged Harry past the crowded dance floor, dutifully ignoring her brother's frowning expressions as they watched them leave.

Ginny pulled Harry through a back hallway that opened into the promised courtyard. There was a large, old-fashioned fountain in the center, a few scattered benches, and lots of shrubbery.

"Ginny, where are we going?" Harry asked breathlessly as Ginny finally stopped, just beside the fountain.

"I don't know," Ginny answered honestly, pulling Harry onto one of the benches. She looked up at him under her eyelashes in what she knew was a shamelessly seductive way. "I just wanted us to be alone for a bit."

** A/N: And here begins the snogging…**

She saw Harry stiffen a little – he obviously hadn't been expecting that answer. But he played right along. This was just the way they flirted. "Well, I like the sound of that," he breathed, leaning in and stopping a centimeter from her lips.

"I thought you might," Ginny smiled, closing the distance between them. The kiss was soft, breathless, but it slowly intensified, until Ginny felt Harry pull her into his lap. Ginny wrapped her arms around his neck, and she felt one of his hands come up and tangle in her hair. Ginny was painfully aware of the light circles that his other hand was tracing on her bare back.

And then, almost without thinking, Ginny pulled away, jumped off Harry's lap, and grabbed his hand. "Come on," she said, laughing at the look of utter disappointment on Harry's face. But she didn't pull him back towards the light filtering from the ballroom. Instead, she pulled him across the courtyard and to the adjoining building. The walls were lined with doors – hotel room doors. Breathlessly, she tried the first one. It was unlocked. She opened it, pulled Harry inside.

"Ginny, wait…," Harry said, suddenly beginning to realize where they were. As their eyes adjusted to the lack of light, Ginny saw Harry's eyes stray, almost alarmed, to the large bed against the back wall of the room.

"Don't overthink, Harry," Ginny teased, shutting the door behind her and pressing her back against it. Harry turned to look at her. "Kiss me, Harry," she breathed.

She saw the tiniest flickering of something like doubt in Harry's eyes, then he threw it to the winds. "Oh, what the hell," he said, and covered her mouth with his.

Ginny was lost. Snogging Harry was always heaven, sometimes intense, but it had never been this…_heated_. She couldn't help but smile a little into Harry's kiss when she realized that _she_ had started it. Harry was ever the gentleman, but they had teased and flirted about "snogging eachother senseless" for so long, and back there, something had just snapped. She didn't want to just talk about it. She wanted to _feel _it.

Harry's body was pinning hers against the wall, and both of Ginny's hand were tangled in his hair, pressing his lips harder to hers. Harry's hands were straying up and down her arms, at moments pressing her arms hard against her body, at moments caressing them with the lightest of touches.

And in a particularly heated moment, Ginny released her hands from Harry's hair, and grasped Harry's tie seductively in one hand. She turned and pulled him by his tie away from the wall.

"Jesus, Ginny," Harry said.

"I know," Ginny said, eyes glittering with a playful smile, "_I _didn't know I was such a tease."

When Ginny felt the back of her legs meet the bed, she looked up and saw another flicker of uncertainty in Harry's eyes. "Ginny," he said slowly, "How far are we going with this?"

"I don't know," Ginny said, again honestly. Harry looked down, searching her eyes, obviously on the verge of stepping away from her. Ginny sighed. In some ways, she appreciated his hesitation. She smiled, "Don't be so chilvalrous, Harry," she said, "Just kiss me already." She stood a little taller and re-closed the distance between their lips. Harry kissed back, but the hesitation was still there.

Ginny pulled away, "I love you, Harry," she breathed. And that did it. With a very audible sigh of resignation mingled with relief, Harry took control, kissed her fiercely. Ginny felt herself fall back onto the bed with the fierceness of it, and she responded just as enthusiastically.

Somewhere along the line, Ginny's dress had bunched up a little higher, and one of Harry's knees was between her legs. His weight was supported on his elbows on either side of her head. Ginny reached up and swiftly untied his tie. She unbuttoned his dress shirt, peeling it off him and throwing it haphazardly aside. She took a moment to appreciate how fit fighting Voldemort and playing Quidditch had made him, and then she was very aware that his hands had moved down to grip her waist.

And suddenly, the door burst open.

** A/N: And here the snogging ends. Abruptly. Muahaha…**

"Jesus, Ginny!" yelled Charlie in quite a different tone than Harry had used earlier.

"Bloody hell!" yelled Fred and George in unison.

"What the hell are you doing, Potter!?" Ron practically shouted.

Harry was off the bed so fast that Ginny would almost have sworn he'd apparated. He found his shirt in record time and frantically started to button it. Ginny sat up, her cheeks flaming, but glaring pointedly at all six of her brothers. _Oh hell_, she thought grimly, _now__ Percy decides to join up again_.

Bill was clearing his throat loudly as Ginny stood up, straightening her now-wrinkled dress. Ginny turned her fiercest glare on him. "What? They've elected you spokesman now, have they?" she practically spat. She felt Harry put a warning hand on her arm.

"Erm…Harry," Percy said softly, but with characteristic sternness, "I wouldn't touch her right this moment, if I were you."

Harry yanked his hand back. A retort was on Ginny's lips, but Bill cut in. "Ginny," he said firmly, "I think it's about time we had a little talk with your boyfriend here."

Beside her, Ginny heard Harry gulp audibly. "You will do no such thing!" she said loudly. But Bill gave her a look that brooked no argument. Fred and George sidled their way through the doorway.

"Come on, Harry," they said, in low, almost conciliatory voices. Harry gave Ginny a half-frightened, half-resigned look as he started out of the room.

"Ginny," George said, coming up beside her, "Now you know we've got to do this."

"Frankly," Fred continued, "It's been a long time coming."

"Too long, apparently," George said pointedly, raising his eyes at the mussed-up bed behind them.

"But we know how _vastly_ cross you get with us. So we'd like to curb your anger a bit," Fred chimed in.

"In hopes of avoiding the worst punishments later," George continued, not skipping a beat.

"Hmph," Ginny snorted, "You would, wouldn't you? Not likely."

"Now, now, little sis," Fred said, wagging a finger at her, "Look what we've brought you." And he pulled from his pocket an Extendable Ear. He pressed it into her hand. "We'll be right next door," Fred said.

"But don't try barging in, eh?" George said warningly, looking suddenly very serious. "This is serious business."

Ginny didn't even have time to ask them why they carried Extendable Ears around in their pockets before they followed her other brothers and Harry out of the room. As soon as the door swung closed, Ginny quickly unwound the Extendable Ear and pressed it up against the wall.

She heard the door open, and seven pairs of feet troop in, then the door shut again.

"You'd better sit down, Harry," she heard one of the twins say. "We're awfully sorry about this…."

"…but," continued another twin, from a different part of the room, "after what we just …erm..saw in there, we're definitely honour-bound to do this."

"Oh, shut it," she heard Ron's angry voice cut in, "He doesn't even deserve the disclaimer. I want to know what he's done to Ginny to make her willing to practically shag him in a hotel room!"

Ginny bit her tongue in anger. The hypocrisy of Ron Weasley! He had obviously forgotten that he'd _knocked Hermione up_!

"I think Ron's right, Harry," she heard Charlie say, his harsh full of controlled harshness, "I think you'd better explain what exactly was going on in there." Well, this was predictable, Ginny thought. Charlie had always been just as high-tempered as Ron.

"W-well…," she heard Harry say slowly, "We were just snogging, and things got a little out of hand is all." And then Harry's voice changed to earnestness, as though he had decided to change tacks, "But though I appreciate that Ginny's your sister…."

"_Little_ sister," Ron said pointedly.

"Your sister," Harry continued, "My intentions towards have never been anything but honourable. And, no offense, but I really think she'd back me up when I say that she knows what she's doing."

Ginny snorted at that. She wondered if Harry knew how _that_ had sounded.

"And what's _that_ supposed to mean?" Charlie said warningly.

"I mean, I mean…I didn't mean that," Harry fumbled, "I just mean she knows what's best for her. Believe me when I tell you that I could never make her do _anything_ she didn't want to do. Nor would I want to! I mean, she's wonderful, and amazing, and beautiful, and smart, and I'd never want to screw it up by doing something…erm…dishonourable…where she's concerned. So you really have nothing to worry about. That's all I'm saying," he finished.

There was a pause. "Well amen to that!" George said finally, and Ginny, even from the other side of the wall, could feel the atmosphere tangibly relax.

Percy piped up, "I know I've only just gotten back and all, but I think I can safely say that what we saw in there was a bit of a shock to all of us. And we'd definitely prefer if you toned it down a little. Definitely while we're around, preferably even when we're not. Because we hate to think about the point to which things would have escalated if we hadn't come in just then."

"Percy's right," Bill said thoughtfully. "If you and our sister could…erm…refrain from snogging quite so…heatedly when there's a chance we might walk in – that would be much appreciated."

"What Perce and Bill mean, Harry," Ron said, his voice much less angry, much more joking, "is keep it vertical and keep your shirt on, for Christ's sake!"

At that they all burst into laughter. Even Ginny couldn't keep herself from grinning.

o.o

When her brothers finally traipsed back to the room Ginny was holed up in, she was waiting for them, her arms cross, tapping her heel.

"What've you done with Harry?" she said sternly as all six of them filtered into the room. Bill and Charlie leaned side by side on the wall beside the door. Percy stood stick-straight in a corner, and Fred and George fought over the single armchair.

"Go sit on the bed!" Fred complained loudly.

"I'm not sitting on that after what we just witnessed!" George countered.

Ginny resisted the urge to roll her eyes, settling for arching an eyebrow instead. "Well, where's Harry?"

"Waiting in the courtyard. I don't think he fancied hanging out with us much longer. In fact, he probably needs a cold shower," Fred snickered.

"Oh, don't be immature, Fred," Ginny sighed, really rolling her eyes this time.

"But Jesus, Ginny," Bill said, looking at Ginny seriously, "Do you have any idea what you were probably about to get yourself into?"

"No, Bill!" Ginny said sarcastically, "Why don't you lot give me 'the Talk' then – go on! I'm bloody eighteen years old," she said wearily, "I'm a working adult, and I don't need your permission for anything. I understand that you feel obligated to make sure I don't get hurt and I appreciate that sentiment, I really do, but you lot have _got _to know when to bloody back off! I know my relationship with Harry, and you bloody well don't, so I think _I _should be making the decision of whether or not I want to snog him senseless. You lot need to just trust me sometimes. You've raised me well, and now you need_ to let me go_."

She sighed, but she could tell her brothers had actually been listening to her. They were silent for a moment.

"Well, I think our youngest sibling is all grown up," Bill said finally, wiping a non-existent tear from his eye.

"Gotta give it to you, sis – that was pretty damn dramatic," said George.

"We'll stay out of it if you keep it out of sight," Fred agreed.

"We do NOT want to walk in one something like that again," Ron said quickly, "I'm near blinded already."

Ginny grinned. "Well, alright then, now we've got that settled, I would like to know why Ron over there didn't get accosted by angry brothers when he got Hermione _pregnant_!"

"Well, he's a guy, isn't he?" George said artlessly.

Ginny raised an eyebrow. "Excuse me? So now you lot have got double standards?"

"No, no!" George amended.

"What George is trying to say, Gin," Bill said carefully, "Is that we can sort of see Ron's side of things a little easier."

"We can relate," Charlie explained.

"What do you mean?" Ginny said.

"Well, to put it plainly…," Fred said, "Hermione's pretty hot."

"Hey!" Ron said. Ginny's eyebrows only went up higher, but she was hard pressed to suppress her grin.

"I mean, we can see why he might be inclined to…you know…," Charlie faltered.

"Shag her," George said bluntly.

Ginny saw Bill roll his eyes. "Now, Harry, on the other hand," Fred said, shaking his head sorrowfully, "He's not _quite_ up to our standards, you see. It's harder to see things your way."

Ginny couldn't contain it any longer. She burst into laughter.

"Speaking of Hermione," Percy said, "Are her _parents_ coming to dinner tonight?"

"Yes," Ron groaned, putting his face in his hands.

"Oh," said Percy, "Ouch."

"You're telling me," Ron muttered.

"Anyone got any escape plans if things go awry?" Charlie asked hopefully.

"I've got dibs on an allergy to ham!" Ginny said quickly.

"Oh, bollocks," Fred groaned. "George and I wanted to use that one."

"Well," George cut in, "Won't you need someone to Side-Apparate you to St. Mungo's? You could save one of us as well!"

"Sorry, oh brothers of mine," Ginny said sweetly, standing and walking towards the door, "Harry's Side-Apparating me."

"So you're willing to save _Harry_ from the deepest depths of hell but not your own flesh and blood!?" Fred said dramatically, putting a hand to his heart.

Ginny turned around in the doorframe and arched her eyebrow at them each in turn, ending pointedly with Ron.

"Well apparently I'm willing to – how did Ron so eloquently put it? – 'practically shag him in a hotel room'," she said, smiling evilly, "So yes, I guess so."

Six jaws dropped, and she tossed the Extendable Ear at them as she left the room. Ginny smiled in satisfaction as she crossed to the courtyard.

**A/N: Sigh – so I know you all are waiting for the big dinner with Hermione's parents – NEXT CHAPTER I PROMISE! I just got a little carried away with this – it was very, very fun to write. So the dinner will have to wait. I will try to make it worth your while. Ideas, anyone:)**

**Let me know what you thought – REVIEW!**

**- iheartbooks**


	30. In My Pants Pocket

**A/N: Here is chapter 30! Hope you like it…I had a ton of fun writing it. Thank you for all of your lovely reviews so far. They really do make my day. :) And fair warning – Malfoy makes an appearance in this chapter. And he's a real jerk. I actually really like Draco's character, but I had to make him mean for this story. Forgive me, Draco lovers!**

**Chapter 30**

**In My Pants Pocket**

Ginny saw Harry in the courtyard, pacing and staring at the ground. She smiled. With his hands deep in his pockets and his head bent, he looked just like the boy she remembered from school. She walked up to him, looping her arm in his. He grinned down at her.

"_You_, Mr. Potter," she said lightheartedly, "have just survived the ultimate test in the adventure that is dating Ginny Weasley."

"I have, have I?" Harry said, raising his chin in mock self-satisfaction. "And I suppose none of you _other _boyfriends got this far."

Ginny shook her head profusely. "Not without black eyes," she quipped.

Harry let out a sigh of relief and spoke seriously. "I thought castration was imminent."

Ginny laughed. "Well," she said mischievously, "_That_ would have put a bit of crimp on things, eh?"

Harry snorted. "Just a bit. By the way, Gin," he continued, "about earlier. That was…."

"I'm sorry," Ginny said quickly. Harry looked down sharply, obviously confused. Ginny felt the colour rushing to her cheeks.

Harry cocked his head, a smile playing at the edges of his lips. "Are you…blushing?" he said. He put a hand to her cheek, and Ginny knew he could feel the warmth emanating from it. "Why are you apologising?"

"Well…," Ginny started, feeling her cheek getting hotter and hotter under Harry's palm, "I was a bit…erm…aggressive, wasn't I? I practically attacked you…it was…."

"I was going to say hot as hell," Harry cut in, grinning again. "Dream come true, really. We blokes used to fantasise about that kind of thing back at Hogwarts."

"You…what?" Ginny said. She raised her eyebrows, and now it was Harry's turn to flush furiously.

"I mean, that's the kind of thing every bloke wants to have happen…."

"You fantasised about me at Hogwarts?" Ginny said, grinning at Harry's obvious discomfert.

"Wait…what…I mean…no!" Harry said, fumbling for words.

"No?" Ginny said, moving to stand in front of Harry and wrapping her arms around his waist. "So you fantasised about _other_ girls, then?"

"Wait – no! I mean…." Harry was really flustered now. He paused to get back his bearings. "I'm really backed into a corner here aren't I?" he said finally.

Ginny laughed. "Yes, yes you are."

"Would it be good if I said I'd like if we tried _that_," he raised his eyebrows toward the hotel room, "again sometime."

"You bet your arse we're trying that again," Ginny grinned, looping her arm back in Harry's. They started off back toward the ballroom. Ginny's brothers seemed to have been dawdling in the hotel room – whether because they were purposely keeping an eye on her and Harry or because they'd gotten caught up in coversation, Ginny wasn't sure. As it was, she saw them all file out of the room and start back too, laughing and talking loudly behind them.

Ginny didn't mention the Extendable Ears to Harry, but she smiled thinking of what Harry had said about her. He'd stood up for her, and her brothers had accepted it. She leaned her head lightly on Harry's shoulder as they entered into the light of the ballroom and noise of festivities consumed them once more. Harry unlooped their arms and slid his around her waist. He rubbed his fingers in discrete circles on her side. She was pretty sure he was doing it subconsciously, but she had to suppress a shiver.

"You have _got_ to be effing kidding me." Ron's voice was so sharp that Ginny heard it carry up from behind them.

"Oh, hell," Harry said under his breath. Ginny felt his arm tighten around her waist, drawing her closer. She glanced around.

And saw Draco Malfoy. Ginny suppressed the urge to groan. Malfoy's father had been carted off to Azkaban some time ago, but Malfoy had never been convicted of any actual crimes and had inherited the Malfoy fortune scott-free. Ginny saw Pansy Parkinson standing a few inches away, talking in an excitedly school-girl whisper – and here Ginny really did groan – to Rita Skeeter.

Malfoy looked up as they approached. And smirked. Ginny wanted desperately to hex that smirk right off his face. Harry's arm attempted to steer them past without pausing, but as they moved by, Malfoy spoke.

"Congratulations, Potter," he said languidly, his tone conveying anything but congratulations. They had no choice but to stop and turn to him.

Harry smiled quite convincingly, but Ginny could feel how tense he was. "Thank you, Malfoy," he said, "Good of you to come." Only Ginny caught the touch of sarcasm behind his words.

Peripherally, Ginny saw her brothers dispersing. All but Ron, who came up beside Harry. Hermione, who had been talking animatedly with her parents, looked up, took in the situation, and strode up as well.

"How did _you_ get invited?" Ron said bluntly. Ron obviously wasn't entertaining any of Harry's notions of politeness.

Malfoy's eyes flashed. "I am _always_ invited," he said haughtily. Ginny resisted the urge to roll her eyes. "Though I'm not sure how many more of these ceremonies I will be attending, considering the riffraff they let in these days." He glanced around, his gaze resting a fraction of a second longer on the Grangers. Ginny felt Hermione tense beside her, but it was Ron who spoke.

"I'd be careful what I said, if I were you," he said warningly, "You don't want to insult the guests of honour. Things could end embarrassingly for you."

"Oh, I doubt that. Friends in high places, Weasley," he added, turning a disdainful gaze on Ron. "Though I'm sure you know all about that," he continued, smirking again, "Now that you've ridden Potter's coattails to the top."

Ron looked about to retort, but Ginny cut in. She didn't want her brother to do anything stupid. "Clever as always, Malfoy," she said curtly. "Give our regards to your father," she couldn't help adding. She had wanted to take the high road, she really had, but she couldn't bear Malfoy insulting Ron and Hermione on _this _of all days. From the fury that flashed momentarily across his face, she could see she had hit a chord. She couldn't help feeling a glimmer of self-satisfaction. "Now if you'll excuse us…." She placed her hand over Harry's on her waist and made to move away.

"Ah, the youngest Weasley," Malfoy said. His voice was unnervingly light. Ginny looked up to see him staring amusedly at her, his gaze raking her body from head to toe. She glared back at him, feeling Harry stiffen beside her. "Whoring around again, are we?" he said, his voice low, "You had quite the reputation at Hogwarts. Eager to run off and give Potter another good shag?"

"_What_ did you say?" Ron said, voice rising, but Ginny felt Hermione grasp Ron's arm behind them.

Ginny raised her hand to slap Malfoy across the face, but Harry beat her to him. He stepped right up to Malfoy, eyes flashing threateningly. "Insult her again, Malfoy," he said, his voice low and harsh, "and I don't care where we are, I _will_ curse you." Ginny grasped Harry's arm, getting her flash temper back under control. Behind Malfoy, she saw Rita Skeeter watching them, eyes shining, Quick Quotes Quill blurring across a page of parchment. _Bloody hell._

"Threatening me, Potter?" Malfoy said, no longer even feigning a polite tone.

"Yeah," Harry said seriously, "I am."

"Come on, Harry," Ginny cut in, glaring at Malfoy with every molecule of hatred she possessed. "He's not worth it. Let's go." To Ginny's relief, Harry stepped back. She was not going to let him get into a deul with Malfoy over her honour. Not at a Ministry ceremony celebrating everything the Trio had accomplished. Later she would help Harry hex Malfoy into oblivion, but not now and not over petty insults.

Malfoy smirked as Harry wrapped his arm back around Ginny's waist. "You always did need a Weasley for everything, Potter," he said callously, glancing at Ron and Ginny then back to Harry. "It doesn't surprise me that you need one to get off…."

Ginny grabbed Harry's arm and yanked it back as he launched himself forward. "Don't Harry!" she said, "Don't give him the satisfaction." Ginny knew that Harry could have wrested away from her grip if he'd wanted to, but he let her pull him back to her side. "He's not bloody worth it," Ginny said, and she pulled Harry away.

"But this one's dangerous, isn't she?" Malfoy said, eyes gleaming. "After that whole diary incident, I was sure you lot would have locked her up. We can't have Dark Lord possessed girls running around with the squeaky clean Weasley brood, can we?"

Ginny was momentarily shocked into silence. Her blood boiled, and her chest was suddenly uncomfortably constricted. It wasn't as though her possession in her first year had left her mind; it still haunted her. But no one brought it up. No one.

"Go to hell, Malfoy," she spat, an she forced herself to walk away.

She thought she heard Malfoy say something uncomplimentary, but she didn't break stride. Harry was still tense with fury beside her.

"You should have let me kill him," he said sharply, voice harsh, as Ginny pulled him away.

"He's not bloody worth it," Ginny repeated, "That stupid Skeeter woman was right there. You don't want 'Potter Attempts to Murder Malfoy Heir' all over the papers tomorrow, do you?"

Harry allowed himself a short bark of laughter. "Well now Rita Skeeter won't be after me, she'll be after _you_. I didn't defend your honour. You _know_ she'll read into that. She'll say it's all true," he hissed, his hatred of the woman seeping into his voice.

Ginny waved away his concern as nonchalantly as she could manage. "Who cares? She would have said that anyway. I just won't read the paper."

"Are you okay, Gin?" Harry said suddenly, pulling her to a stop beside him. "I can't believe that bloody bastard had the nerve to bring up…."

"I'm fine, Harry," Ginny said quickly.

Harry gripped her shoulder reassuringly. "Well, at least we know _that_ won't be in the papers tomorrow."

Ginny tensed. She hadn't thought it could get into the papers. "What do you mean 'we know it won't be there'?"

"Well that would raise some interesting questions about how you got that bloody diary in the first place, wouldn't it? Malfoy's reputation is hanging by a thread as it is."

Ginny sighed audibly in relief. "Yeah, you're right. As always," she said.

"And don't you forget it," Harry grinned. "Now what do you say we go get front row seats to the torture event of the season," he said, looking over to where the Grangers were deep in conversation with Mr. and Mrs. Weasley.

Ginny smiled, all thoughts of Malfoy rushing from her mind. She loved that Harry could make her forget everything bad that had ever happened to her with the merest smile. "Sure, Potter," she said affectionately, grasping hold of his hand. "You sure know how to romance a girl."

"I do try," he said, kissing her affectionately on the cheek. She smiled.

o.o

An hour later, the Weasley family, the Grangers, Harry, and Hermione, had finished saying all their goodbyes and thankyous and were going back to the Burrow. Once again, Harry, Hermione, Ginny, and Ron were sharing a sleek black Ministry vehicle. As soon as they had all settled in and the door had been shut against the cameras and reporters, Hermione turned on Ron.

"What did you do to Harry and Ginny?" she said sharply, swatting him on the arm.

"Ow! What?"

"Did he embarrass you two?" she said, turning to Harry and Ginny, "Because I told him ages ago to leave your relationship alone, and right away he and all your brothers go trooping out _following _you!"

"Well what were we supposed to do?" Ron said quickly, "They were eyeing eachother all night and being all touchy-feely on the dance floor. Of course we're going to notice! You're not very subtle, you two! And they Ginny drags Harry off to Merlin knows where. It's our brotherly duty, isn't it?"

"Well did you _all_ have to follow?" Hermione said, voice still sharp.

"Well we're _all _her brothers, aren't we? And it's a good thing we went, too…," he added under his breath. "Or Ginny might be pregnant right about now…."

"What!?" Hermione and Ginny yelled, but in very different tones. Harry was flushing furiously.

"Well they were practically shagging!" Ron said earnestly, "On the bed and everything."

"What!?" Hermione said again, but the anger had left her voice. She looked shocked now and was glancing from Harry to Ginny and back again.

"Ron…," Ginny said dangerously.

Harry cleared his throat loudly. "How did you lot find us, anyway?" he said, obviously trying to diffuse a quickly explosive-looking situation.

Ron looked taken aback by the question for a moment, but then he smiled. "Ah, that was a pretty brilliant piece of spellwork by Charlie. Percy said the Ministry had rented out the whole hotel, so there weren't any guests or anything. So Charlie did a charm that flew about the rooms and lighted up the doors of the ones with people inside. And obviously, your door lit up, so we barged in."

"Ron," Hermione said, swatting Ron's arm again, "What if you'd walked in on someone else?"

"We'd have apologised and gotten the hell out of there is what we would have done," Ron said, as though that was the dumbest question he'd ever heard.

Hermione rolled her eyes and shook her head. "I'm marrying a prat," she grumbled.

"Too right you are," Ron said affectionately, pecking Hermione on the cheek.

Ginny sat back in her seat, folded her arms over her chest, and smirked.

Ron looked up and became obviously unnerved at the expression on his sister's face. "What are you thinking about, Gin?" he said uncertainly.

"Karma," Ginny replied shortly.

"What about karma?" Ron said warily.

"The lovely way in which it comes back to bite you in the arse."

"What about that?" Ron said slowly.

"Well, you're about to be torn apart by your pregnant fiance's parents in front of your entire family," Ginny said. "You know, Harry," she added quite suddenly, turning to the boy next to her, "I think we ought not to use my ham allergy tonight. I rather want to watch, don't you?"

Harry snorted. "I think I rather do," he replied. Ginny raised her eyebrows triumphantly at Ron, who blanched a fetching shade of cream.

o.o

The Burrow's kitchen had been magically expanded to hold the nine Weasleys, Harry, Hermione, and Mr. and Mrs. Granger. Mrs. Weasley rushed inside as soon as her car pulled to a stop, and magicked everything into place, so that when everyone else filed in, the table was set and the whole house was full of unimaginably wonderful smells.

"Wow, Mrs. Weasley," Harry said, following Ginny to the table, "That smells amazing."

"Thank you, dear," Mrs. Weasley said, beaming. "Go on, everyone, sit, sit."

As Ginny took her seat beside Harry, she surveyed the table, licking her lips involuntarily. Her mum had not been lying when she'd said she would cook _everything_. Ginny didn't think she'd seen this variety of delectables on the Weasley kitchen table…ever. Her mouth was watering just looking at in.

"Well," Mrs. Weasley said finally when everyone had settled expectantly into their seats, "Dig in, then."

There was an immediate clanging of forks and spoons and a clamour of voices. Ginny knew for a fact that every one of her brothers had had their cutlery at the ready. She grinned at the thought. As soon as her teeth were comfortably chewing something, Ginny glanced around her. Harry was on her left. Next to him was Ron, and beside him was Hermione. Ginny nearly pitied Ron when she saw that Mr. Granger was directly across from Ron, his wife beside him and across from Hermione. Everyone else was splayed around the table. Fred, George, Angelina, Katie, and Charlie were on Ginny's right, and Mr. and Mrs. Weasley, Bill, Fleur, and Percy were all the way down the table, beyond Hermione.

Dinner at the Burrow was always comfortably loud, tonight even more so, with everyone being home and giddy from the festivities. Ginny had a feeling, however, that everyone was half conversing amiably, half keeping an ear pricked for the inevitable Granger-Ron confrontation.

"This dinner is absolutely spectacular, Molly," Mrs. Granger was saying. "Would you mind if I bothered you for some recipes later?"

Ginny smiled. Mrs. Granger was a woman after her mum's own heart. Ginny could tell they would get on wonderfully.

"The duck, especially," Mr. Granger added warmly.

Mrs. Weasley smiled wider, if that were possible. "Do you think you could teach me the duck, Mrs. Weasley?" Hermione said. Ginny noted how Hermione hadn't called Mrs. Weasley 'Mum', but she didn't think anyone else had noticed.

"Of course, dear," Mrs. Weasley said happily. "That's actually Ron's favourite, now that you mention it. Right, dear?"

Ron flushed. Before now, he'd been politely quiet. Ginny could tell he'd been trying to avoid attention. "Yeah, it is," he said quietly, glancing timidly along the table. Now Ginny really did feel bad for him.

There was a rather awkward pause in that conversation. "Could you pass the spinach, Harry," Ginny said, rather more loudly than necessary.

"Sure," Harry said, and he passed the spinach.

Mr. Granger set his fork down and dabbed calmly at his mouth with a napkin. "So," he said slowly, and Ginny winced on Ron's behalf, "How long have you two been seeing eachother?" He looked expectantly from his daughter to Ron and back. Ginny let out a little sigh of relief. It was a perfectly innocent question.

"Um…," Hermione began, "I think it's two and a half years now, right Ron? Two and a half?"

"Nearly three, I think," Ron said.

"You don't know?" Mr. Granger said.

"Well, it's a bit hard to count, Dad," Hermione explained, "We never really sat down and said 'well, now we're a couple'. It kind of just…happened." She attempted a smile, but neither of her parents looked particularly amused.

"Kind of like how _this_," Mrs. Granger said sharply, gesturing to Hermione's pregnant stomach, "just _happened_?"

Everyone at the table shifted uncomfortably. They'd all teased Ron about his imminent demise for the whole two weeks, but now that it was actually happening…it wasn't quite as funny.

"Mum…," Hermione said warningly.

"Well, you've got to understand, dear," Mrs. Granger said, voice rising just a little in earnestness, "You disappear for years and suddenly you come home and tell us you're pregnant! We'd only met your boyfriend," she glanced at Ron, "_one time_."

"And you're only nineteen, Hermione," Mr. Granger cut in. "What about a career? You've always been so ambitious careerwise."

"Dad," Hermione said sharply, "I've gotten plenty of offers of jobs. And their holding the jobs until I'm ready. At the Ministry of Magic, no less. I'm not abandoning my dreams."

"And I've gotten a lot of really wonderful offers as well," Ron added quickly. "At the Ministry, too. We'll both have really successful careers…Sir." Ron flushed as Mr. Granger appraised him.

"Well that's some relief, I suppose," Mrs. Granger said finally, her tone softening. Meanwhile, Ron had been glancing back and forth between Hermione and her parents, as though he'd been watching a very dangerous tennis match.

"But Hermione, honey," Mr. Granger continued, seeming to decide that Ron hadn't said anything worth further dissection, "That doesn't change the fact that we would have liked some notice about all this. We didn't even know you and Ron here were serious."

"Yes, Hermione," Mrs. Granger said, "I mean, you always talked about him, of course, in your letters. You did say you were really close friends, but never in a particularly romantic sense. And you did bring him home as your boyfriend that one time, but other than that the last thing I knew was that you had an enormous crush on your other friend, Harry."

Ginny nearly choked, and she heard Harry do the same beside her. "What!?" Ron said, probably louder than he had intended.

"Mum!" Hermione nearly yelled, her face burning. "I said that in a letter home when I was _eleven_! First Year!"

"Yes, but…," Mrs. Granger said, looking suddenly concerned at the reaction her words were getting.

"That lasted for all of one month, Mum, and I can't believe you even remember that! _I _completely forgot about it about a week after I wrote to you," Hermione continued, becoming quite flustered under everyone's shocked stares, "because Ron here sacrificed himself for me and Harry in this giant chess game when we were hunting for the Sorcerer's Stone. And then Second Year he defended me in front of Malfoy, and Third Year we almost wrung eachother's necks but got a lot closer after we'd made up. And Fourth Year he got all jealous when I didn't go to the Yule Ball with him, and Fifth Year he made me laugh so hard on Prefect rounds I'm sure I burst a lung, and then Sixth Year I realized I really did love him. After that month in First Year," Hermione finished, breathing hard, "there's never been anyone but Ron, Mum. I just didn't tell you that."

There was silence after she had finished. Ginny could see Mrs. Weasley tearing up a little, and Ron was positively glowing. Ginny smiled when he reached for Hermione's hand under the table.

"Well," Mr. Granger said at length, "I can see my daughter loves you, son," – Ron actually grinned when Mr. Granger addressed him as 'son' – "and I'm glad she's found that, but I want to be sure you know how important her happiness is to me. And I can't say I approve of the situation you two have gotten yourselves into. I hope you're not marrying her just because she's pregnant." He looked at Ron, eyebrows slightly raised, eyes so stern as to be virtually unreadable.

Ron reddened and replied quickly, fumbling over words in his sincerity. Ginny couldn't help but cringe a little when she remembered how Ron had said he'd messed it up last time. Ron was speaking very, very fast. "No, Sir, of course not!" he said, "I actually had the ring long before she told me she was…erm…going to have a….my…that is, a baby." Ginny winced as Ron continued. The whole table was tense, silently willing Ron not to say something stupid. But of course, he did. "I'd been carrying the ring around in my pocket for ages. It was always with me…erm…in my pants pocket…and of course, I always had my pants with me. That is…I didn't when Hermione and I…erm…when we…that night when we had, you know…." At that moment, several things happened at once. Hermione closed her eyes in absolute mortification. Both Mrs. Granger and Mrs. Weasley's eyes widened considerably and they gripped their chairs. Mr. Granger's unreadable eyes began to glare in an undeniably negative manner. And Harry kicked Ron in the shin to silence him, which in fact did more harm than good, as Ron yelled "Ow!" rather unexpectedly. Ginny grabbed Harry's thigh to stop him from doing it again, then realised this action had an unintended effect when Harry stiffened beside her and her brothers' eyebrows shot up warningly.

"I mean, I didn't mean it that way," Ron said quickly, trying to amend, "God, I'm just so nervous. I really, really want your approval, Mr. and Mrs. Granger," he said finally, meeting their gazes for the first time that night, "Because I love Hermione," he continued, speaking more carefully and slowly this time, "A lot. Always have, like she said. I was just really stubborn for a lot of our school careers, and I didn't want to admit it. And she'll hate me for saying it, but she's really stubborn as well, I don't know if you've…erm…noticed. But we're both really alike in a lot of ways, and we sort out the differences by bickering. That's just the way things have always been with us. But once we got over the stubborness and the childishness, I think we both sort of realised we'd be pretty empty without the other one to tell us when we were being stubborn and childish. It's refreshing, really," Ron said, not quite managing to keep a little smile off his face as he talked about the girl beside him, "who knows the right answer to any question you can throw at her. And, as much as she protests, I kind of think Hermione likes to have someone around who tells her to throw caution to the winds every once in a while. And so, Mr. and Mrs. Granger, I…," Ron paused and his eyebrows furrowed as though he was searching for just the right words, "I wasn't just going to marry Hermione when she told me she was pregnant. I think I was going to marry her the day I met her on the Hogwarts Express, even if I didn't know it yet."

There was silence again, after Ron's speech. Ginny saw Hermione squeeze Ron's hand under the table.

"Well," said Mr. Granger finally, "Stubborn and a know-it-all, you said…." He paused, and Ginny saw Ron blinking nervously. Very suddenly, Mr. Granger's face broke into a smile. "That's my Hermione, all right. I think you've described her exactly. And I think," he added finally, "I think you'll be very happy." Mrs. Granger was nodding, her face a wide grin.

Ginny was sure she heard an audible sigh of relief from everyone at the table. "Well, baby brother," Fred said from the end of the table, "That was quite a comeback."

"That was really sweet, Ron," Ginny heard Hermione say. Harry patted Ron discreetly on the back.

After several seconds in which the air was thick with relief, everyone turned back to their respective conversations. Out of the corner of her eye, Ginny saw Mr. Granger strike up a lighthearted conversation with Ron, and they were soon laughing quite goodnaturedly, considering Mr. Granger had probably been about ready to throttle Ron a few minutes earlier.

"Didn't know he had it in him," she said to Harry as she reached for more mashed potatoes.

"He really outdid himself there, didn't he?" Harry commented, smiling at Ginny. As they spoke, Harry grabbed a spoon, reached over to Ginny's plate, and made a depression in Ginny's recently scooped potatoes. He grabbed the gravy and poured some over the little volcano.

"Yes, he did," Ginny replied, taking a spoonful of potatoes. "But at the beginning there…wait, that pasta hasn't got any cheese on it. Here," she reached for the grated cheese and scooped some onto Harry's plate. "At the beginning I thought he was really going to mess it up…what are you lot staring at?"

Fred, George, Angelina, Katie, and Charlie were staring at them with rather strange expressions on their faces. Angelina and Katie were smiling and glancing at eachother knowingly. Fred, George, and Charlie looked as though they couldn't decide whether to smile or be sick. "Have I got something on my face?" she said, glancing at Harry, who shook his head.

"Oh, nothing," George said easily, setting his gaze back on his food.

Ginny looked at Harry again, and he shrugged, mixing the cheese into his pasta.

And then, a few minutes of easy conversation later, Ginny began to feel decidedly reckless. She remembered Harry saying he liked when she was aggressive. She smirked and decided to run with it. She dropped her hand as inconspicuously as she could into her lap. After she was sure no one had noticed, she placed it lightly on Harry's leg. He tensed, but Ginny continued eating, ignoring him when he glanced at her. Ginny had never been this blatently and physically flirtatious before, but she decided she liked the feeling. She bit back a grin as she moved her hand slowly up and down his thigh. He practically choked on his pumpkin juice. Ginny watched, quite amused, as Harry tried to keep a completely passive face. He succeeded pretty well, actually, considering the circumstances.

Finally, his arm shot down under the table and he grabbed her hand. He brought it up slowly and unnoticeably until they were holding hands on the tabletop, quite innocently. Then he leaned over and whispered in her ear, his voice a little hoarser than usual. "You're paying for that later," he said.

Ginny shivered, but managed to reply cooly. "I certainly hope so."

**A/N: So there it is. Did you like it? I know there was quite a bit of buildup to this dinner, and I hope I did it alright. In any case, PLEASE REVIEW! I really want to know what you thought! I have a hopeful suspicion that I might make it to 500 reviews with this chapter and am really excited about it!**

**Also, I probably won't be able to get you another chapter until next weekend because it's Finals Week at school next week. Wish me luck!**


	31. Nightmares and Jumpers

**A/N: Woooo! My finals are over, and I'm on a three day weekend! Hope you like this chapter. Thank you, thank you, thank you for all of your lovely reviews!**

**Chapter 31**

**Nightmares and Jumpers**

Nearly an hour later, the near-empty platters were whisked away, only to be replaced by several heavenly-looking desserts. Ginny groaned.

"I hate it when Mum does this," she muttered, "I'm too full to eat another bite, but I can't _not_ eat _that_. I hate it, but I love it."

Harry laughed and cut her a very large piece of cake. "Glad to see you've got your feelings sorted out, then," he said, setting the cake squarely on her dessert plate. "Honestly, do I need to get you a mood ring?"

Ginny eyed the cake warily. "Do you _want_ me to be fat?" she said, turning a suspicious eye on Harry.

"Yes," Harry said, mouth turning up at the corners, "that has been my plan all along."

Ginny arched an eyebrow at him. "Come on, Gin," he laughed, digging his own fork into her slice of cake and flourishing it in the air before her. "It's calling to you. It's saying, 'Giiiiinyyyyyy….eeeeaaat meeeee!'"

Ginny couldn't suppress a laugh, and Harry took the opportunity to shove the cake into her open mouth. "Hey!" she sputtered, glaring at Harry, who was laughing uncontrollably now. She swatted his arm.

"Oh, stop it, Harry!" George suddenly squealed, his voice comically high-pitched.

"No, you stop it, Ginny!" Fred returned, and the two began swatting at eachother, George giggling exaggeratedly all the while.

"Oh, shut it, Forge," Ginny glared.

o.o

Half an hour after that, the table had been cleared, and Hermione's parents had left under much protest from Mrs. Weasley, who had insisted they spend the night despite the near fire-hazard lack of room. Katie and Angelina took their leave a little later, but Ginny had a sneaking suspicion (from her blush when Fred whispered something in her ear as a goodbye) that Angelina at least might be back later that night. She tried not to think about it. Mrs. Weasley had insisted that everyone else spend the night so that all the Weasleys, Harry, and Hermione could eat breakfast together in the morning.

They all trooped upstairs after Ron gave a resounding, "I have _got_ to get out of these stupid dress robes!" Frankly, Ginny was surprised her mum had let them eat dinner in all their finery, but figured Mrs. Weasley must've wanted to make a good impression on the Grangers. In any case, choruses of 'goodnight's rang up and down the hallways for several minutes.

"So congrats again, 'Mione," Ginny said as they met back in Ginny's room.

"Thanks," Hermione smiled, "Unzip me, will you?"

"And Ron did wonderfully, didn't he?" Ginny commented lightly, knowing Hermione was probably dying to talk about it.

"Oh, he _did_, didn't he?" Hermione gushed. "I know for a _fact_ my mum adores him, and he and my dad are getting on really well now. You know, Dad even asked Ron to explain Quidditch, and my dad doesn't even like sports all that much!"

"Well congrats on that as well, then," Ginny said, laughing at Hermione's enthusiasm.

"My mum said she'll be back to help with all the wedding plans," Hermione added.

"Oh, that's great, Hermione!" Ginny said, slipping out of her dress. She pulled a tanktop on, and then an oversized Quidditch jumper over it against the cold. Then she clambered into a pair of sweatpants and reveled in the warmth.

"And Gin," Hermione said, "I think I've found the perfect bridesmaid's dress designs. We've got to go to Madam Malkin's soon, alright?"

"Anything you want, you Order-of-Merlin-First-Class Bride-to-be, you!" Ginny joked. She slid her hands carefully over the fabric of her green dress, then magicked it into a plastic covering and hung it in the closet.

She shook her hair out of its bun and started toward the door.

"Aren't you going to bed?" Hermione said through a yawn as she clambered into bed. "It's nearly midnight and your mum will probably have us up for breakfast by nine."

"Mmm," Ginny mumbled noncommittally. "I'm just gonna go down for a glass of water."

"Okay." Ginny thought she saw a knowing sort of twinkle in Hermione's eye, but the older girl didn't comment. Ginny didn't ask about it.

o.o

The house was already getting quiet. There were the occasional yelps and carrying conversations from various rooms, but even those were dying down. Ginny made her way down to the kitchen, only to find Harry already there.

"Harry?" she said as she spotted him from the staircase.

"Fancy meeting you here," Harry grinned. He reached over, filled a cup with water, and held it out to her.

"You know me too well," Ginny smiled, taking the glass and sipping as she slid onto a barstool beside him. "In fact, it's almost creepy."

Harry shrugged. "Maybe you're just predictable." Then he smiled evilly, "Or maybe I'm doing Legilimency…."

"Harry Potter, you are not!" Ginny said, springing forward to swat him on the arm.

"No, no, I'm not!" Harry protested, laughing hard. "But the look on your face!"

"You don't do Legilimency on people a lot, do you?" Ginny said, settling back on her barstool. She was genuinely curious. "I mean, you don't just nip in and see what people are thinking…."

"Naw," Harry said, "What would be the fun in that?"

Ginny swallowed a gulp of water, set her cup on the counter, and tipped her head to one side. "So," she said slowly, "You _don't_ know what I'm thinking right now?"

"Well," Harry said, his lopsided grin fading into something entirely different that sent a shiver down Ginny's spine. "I think I have an idea. You're remembering that I've still got to pay you back for earlier."

"Don't tell me you didn't enjoy it, Potter," Ginny smiled. Harry stood up from his barstool and took a step forward so he was standing right beside her, looking down at her. He cupped her face in his hands, and Ginny could have sworn her heart literally skipped a beat.

"Not nearly as much as you're going to," he said hoarsely, and he kissed her. Before Ginny knew it, Harry had lifted her onto the counter and his body was wedged between her legs. Their kisses alternated between fierce and heated and slow, long, and time-stopping. Ginny had just began to lean back onto the counter, pulling Harry down above her, when a loud noise and footsteps descending the stairs interrupted them. Harry stood up quickly and adjusted his glasses, and Ginny hurriedly grabbed her glass of water.

She made a good show of being mid-sip when Ron appeared from the stairwell. He eyed them suspiciously.

"What are you two up to?" he said. His voice was light and unaccusing, but Ginny wasn't at all convinced.

"Drinking."

"She's drinking." They said at the same time, almost too quickly. Ron's eyes narrowed.

"Alright, well," Ginny said, "I'm off to bed, then." And she swung off the counter purposefully before Ron could start interrogating them. She leaned over to Harry and pecked him on the cheek, grinning when she realized how warm his face was. "Love you," she said lightly.

"Love you too. 'Night," Harry said just as calmly.

Ron looked like he was suppressing retching sounds. Ginny rolled her eyes as she started toward the stairs.

She glanced back at Harry as soon as she was past Ron. His eyes were fixed on her. He grinned, and Ginny shrugged. She stuck her tongue out at Ron for good measure, and saw Harry suppress a snort.

o.o

Ginny lay in bed staring into the darkness. She had long since heard Harry and Ron ascend the stairs and disappear into Ron's room across the hall. She was thinking – as always – about Harry.

When she was with him, when they were kissing, she wanted…something. Some more rational part of her brain realized that wanting those kinds of things might qualify her as a scarlet woman, but it was _Harry_ for Christ's sake! She didn't think she could ever feel like a scarlet woman around Harry. It was just so inexplicably…right. Ginny nearly rolled her eyes at the cliché-ness of all this. She sounded like a bloody hopeless romantic.

But when she was with Harry…

She didn't think she had ever lost so much control in her life. Well, besides in First Year…_damn Malfoy to hell_, she groaned, rolling over and trying to get comfortable. She tried to forget about First Year, the Chamber, and anything remotely snake-like, willing her brain to think of green-eyed boys with messy jet-black hair. She drifted into sleep…

_When Ginny woke it was very, very cold. Her head hurt, and then she realized that she was lying on a stone floor. For a moment she thought she'd wetted herself, but then she realized that the floor was damp. She heard a distant pounding of footsteps against the floor, coming closer and closer. She tried to open her eyes, to look around and see where she was and who was coming, but found she couldn't muster the effort. This terrified her, and she tried to cry out, but her voice seemed lodged in her throat._

_Suddenly, a hand touched her arm. "Ginny! Oh my God, Ginny, wake up!" The hand was gripping her arm gently through her robes, and then another hand found its way into hers. The hand against hers was warm, and Ginny managed to crack her eyes open a little. Through her eyelashes, she could, for barely a second, make out bright green eyes. But then the eyes were gone, and Ginny couldn't hold her own eyes open any longer._

"_She's just barely alive." Another voice, this time. Ginny's heart fell. She suddenly wanted very much to cry out, to tell Harry – Harry, it was Harry – to run and leave her and get out before it was too late. But her voice wouldn't come, and her eyes wouldn't open, and only a single tear leaked out from beneath her lid._

_The voices continued. Tom and Harry were speaking, back and forth, back and forth. Why wasn't Harry running!? Run, Harry! Ginny tried to shout, but she couldn't move a muscle. More tears. From frustration, and anger, and fear, and helplessness. Run, Harry! He's no good! He's evil! I trusted him, oh my God, I trusted him. And he was after you all along. He's going to kill you! Run!_

_And then Tom's voice was raised, and had a different tone, and Ginny's heart stopped at his words. "Goodbye, Harry Potter," it said, quite calmly. Run, Harry! "Avada Kedavra!" And a flash of green light streaked beneath Ginny's closed lids._

"Harry!" Ginny's eyes snapped open. She could suddenly move her limbs, and she sat up very suddenly. She realized that she'd said 'Harry!' in only a hoarse whisper, and she said it again, trying to assure herself that she could speak once more.

Ginny reached up to her cheeks and realized that tears were still flowing unhindered. Still unable to think clearly, Ginny stumbled from her bed. She tried desperately to wipe the tears from her face, but they kept coming, and she couldn't stop them. She crossed the hall, found Ron's door unlocked, and slipped inside.

The room was dark, but Ginny could hear her brother snoring on one side of the room. She padded to the other bed. The shirt that Harry had been wearing in the kitchen was on the floor beside the bed. "Harry?" she said quietly, timidly, voice still hoarse and laced with uncertain fear.

There was a startled rustling of sheets, and Harry reached for his glasses. "Ginny?" he said, putting them on. "Oh my God, Ginny, what's wrong?" His tone was so like the one from her nightmare – from in the Chamber – that Ginny felt cold again.

"I'm – I'm sorry," she managed, swiping at her eyes, "I'm just being – being silly. I had a…a nightmare, and I had to come see if you were…if you were…," she trailed off, unable to finish.

"I'm fine" Harry whispered, grasping her hand in his. He used his other hand to brush a few tears from her cheek. Then he did something unexpected. He lifted up the edge of his blanket. "Come here," he said gently, and Ginny slid into bed next to him. She realized with a faint jolt that he wasn't wearing a shirt.

But she curled up into his chest, and Harry's arm came around to hug her to him, and Ginny felt like such a little girl. Her tears began to ebb. "I'm sorry," she whispered finally, "I'm sorry I'm being such a child."

"You're not," Harry whispered, his lips very close to her ear. He paused for a very long moment, then finally, "What happened to me?"

Ginny didn't answer for a moment, and just listened to the steady sound of his breathing. "It was the Chamber," she said quietly, and Harry's hand began to rub up and down her back, "You came to rescue me. You – you died, Harry, and I couldn't do anything to stop him."

"He's gone Ginny, and I'm right here," Harry said comfortingly, continuing to rub her back.

"I've had nightmares before," Ginny continued, "But it's been so long since I had one about…about the Chamber. It just caught me off guard. I think it stuck in my head when Malfoy…when he…."

"Hey," Harry said, pulling away a little to look earnestly into Ginny's face, "Hey, it's okay. I've had nightmares before, too, you know. I know what it's like."

Ginny smiled wryly. She wasn't crying anymore, but knew she must look a right mess. "You didn't come crying into my bed, did you?" she whispered.

Harry exhaled and smiled down at her. "Didn't know I was allowed."

They just looked at eachother for a long while, and then Ginny spoke reluctantly. "Well, thanks, Harry. I…I can go…" She made to move out of his arms, but Harry didn't let go.

"Stay with me?" he said uncertainly, as though _he_ was the one who had come to _her_ for comforting. Ginny smiled.

"Thank you," she whispered.

Harry grinned then, and Ginny's heart instantly felt lighter. "Hell," he said, "I'm the one who gets to sleep with you," he joked.

Ginny couldn't stop a smile from coming to her face. "Don't push it, Potter," she whispered back. But she was suddenly very aware of his closeness, and the way they were tangled together in a _bed_, and the suddenly very important fact that Harry was shirtless. It suddenly felt _much_ warmer than it had two minutes ago, and Ginny pulled off her Quidditch jumper and threw it to the floor.

Comfortable in her tank top and sweatpants, she turned over, settling her back against Harry's chest. His chin rested against her head and he kissed her hair affectionately.

Suddenly Ron shifted in his sleep, and Ginny felt Harry tense up behind her. "Ron's a sound sleeper," she said softly.

"I know," Harry replied, and Ginny realized that, summed up, Harry had probably spent more time with Ron than she had.

"I'll leave early," she said, "I can wake up." She felt sleep filtering over her already.

"Okay," Harry said, his own voice low and slipping towards slumber. He tightened his grip around her, kissed her hair again. Ginny smiled.

And then Ginny drifted into a lovely, dreamless sleep, reveling in the feeling of Harry beside her, his arm draped across her middle.

o.o

Ginny's eyes jerked open. Someone was roughly shaking her arm. "Ginny, get up." Ron was standing over her, expression dark but otherwise unreadable.

"Bloody hell, Ron!" Ginny gasped, trying to sit up. Harry's arm tightened around her, and she couldn't disentangle herself. Ginny wasn't sure if she was more mortified or pleased that Harry, even in sleep, didn't seem to want to let her go.

"Harry," she said, tugging on his arm. "Harry, wake up."

Harry's brow creased, but he didn't open his eyes. "What time is it," he slurred.

"Get up, Harry," Ron said. At the sound of Ron's voice, which was harsh and hard, Harry's eyes snapped open and he sat up.

"Ron!" Harry said, surprised and uncertain.

"I'm so sorry, Harry," Ginny said hoarsely, "I thought I could wake up before Ron."

"It's…it's okay, Gin," Harry said slowly, eyes still fixed on Ron. "Ron, we should talk."

"Oh, we're going to talk," Ron said sharply. "But Mum is walking up the stairs right this second, and she'd best not find Ginny in your bed."

"Oh, bloody hell!" Ginny said, scrambling from the bed. She could now hear her mother's footsteps coming up the stairs. Mrs. Weasley was humming merrily.

Ginny let out a few choice curse words. "Your jumper," Harry said frantically, throwing a bundle of fabric at her. Ginny pulled it over her head. Her mother was outside the door now, and knocked.

"Harry? Ron, dear? You two up? Breakfast is ready!"

"We're up, Mrs. Weasley!" Harry yelled quickly. A little too quickly.

Mrs. Weasley paused. "Everything alright in there?"

"Yes!" Harry said.

"Well, I'll go make sure Ginny's up, then," Mrs. Weasley said slowly, and then her footsteps padded across the hall.

"Ginny, hurry!" Harry said, and Ginny Apparated with a pop.

Ginny threw herself onto her own bed just as the door handle turned. "Ginny!" Mrs. Weasley said, coming over and shaking her daughter lightly on the arm. Ginny feigned a sleepy groan.

"You're not awake yet? Hurry up, dear! Breakfast is waiting."

"Erm…alright, Mum," Ginny said.

"Hermione's already downstairs and everyone else is already awake!" Mrs. Weasley continued.

"Okay, Mum," Ginny said.

Mrs. Weasley made an exasperated noise, then went out of the room, closing the door behind her.

Ginny sat up, breathing hard. She sat on the edge of her bed and absentmindedly threw her hair into a ponytail. She hadn't been thinking all that clearly last night, she knew. If she had, she knew she wouldn't have stayed in Harry's bed overnight. It had been bloody stupid! But she had been tired and nightmare-ridden and feeling Harry's arms around her had been so comforting…. And Ron had always been such a heavy sleeper! He'd never gotten up of his own accord before!

But that had been a close one. She knew Mrs. Weasley wouldn't have taken it at all well if her only daughter was found in said daughter's boyfriend's bed at nine o'clock in the morning, no matter how innocent it had been. It wouldn't have _looked_ innocent. Oh, hell, Ginny thought with a pang - Ron! It must not have looked very innocent to Ron. What must he be thinking?

Ginny stood up quickly, determined to tell Ron exactly what _hadn't_ been happening. She padded across the hall, but paused when she heard low harsh voices filtering out of the door. She contemplated going inside, but somehow, she had a feeling this was something Harry and Ron had to work out themselves. So she listened hard. If anything, she was doing them a favour – making sure no one else walked by and caught on to their conversation. Ron of all people should know how thin the Burrow walls were!

"Did you shag her?" Ron was demanding, voice hard. Ginny winced.

"Even you don't sleep _that_ heavily, Ron," Harry said, his voice moving uncertainly between humour and seriousness.

"Shut up, Harry," Ron said sharply. "I thought we went over this last night. You promised to watch your bloody step around her, and next morning I find her in your _bed_!"

"I didn't promise anything, Ron!" Harry said, his own voice edging toward frustration. At least the two of them had the sense to keep their voices down, Ginny thought. "Ginny's grown up. Nothing happened, but I neither of us owes you any promises."

"You owe me _respect_, Harry!" Ron returned, anger rising. "And you owe my bloody parents some respect as well, don't you think? Shagging their daughter under their roof!"

"I didn't shag anyone, Ron!" Harry said sharply. "What kind of person do you think I am? And I'm pretty sure if we _had_ been shagging – which we _weren't_ – you wouldn't have slept right through it!"

"Then what the hell was she doing here?" Ron's voice rose suddenly and Ginny cast a quick soundproofing spell in a bubble around her, covering the door. She could still hear, but she sincerely hoped she'd done it properly and no one else could.

"Keep you voice down!" Harry said quickly.

"Answer the question!"

"She had a nightmare, alright!" Harry burst out.

"What?" Ron's voice was lower now, and no longer angry.

"She had nightmare and she came to see if I was alright. And she was really broken up about it – crying and everything. I couldn't very well tell her 'oh, I'm fine, no move along back to your room, now', could I?"

Ron was silent for a long moment. "No," he said finally, "You couldn't." Another pause, then, "Damn that bloody ferret to hell."

"What?"

"He brought that bloody Chamber up last night. It was about the chamber wasn't it, the nightmare?"

"Yeah," Harry sighed.

"I didn't know they'd come back," Ron said slowly. Ginny heard a creak, as though he'd sunk down onto his mattress. "She hadn't had a nightmare about it since Fourth Year."

"She said it had been a really long time," Harry said.

"Yeah," Ron agreed. "You know, she used to come to me. When she had the nightmares, you know? If we were at home for the summer, she'd come in here and climb in with me, and I'd be the one that comforted her. We were always kind of closer, you know? 'Cause we we're the youngest."

"Yeah, I get it," Harry said.

"Anyway, it's good she's got you to go to now."

"You think she'll have more nightmares?" Harry said after a moment.

"Probably not," Ron said. "She doesn't get them unless she's thinking about the Chamber a lot – like if someone brings it up." He paused, and when he spoke again his voice was laced with humour. "Why, Potter? Hoping she'll need another sleepover?"

Harry laughed. "Well, actually…."

"Shut up, mate!" Ron laughed, and Ginny heard the distinct sound of Ron hitting Harry with a pillow. She smiled.

o.o

During the summer, Ginny would end up sleeping an extra fifteen minutes after her Mum had woken her up, so she decided it would look suspicious if she went downstairs now. Instead, she padded back to her room and sat on the edge of her bed until she heard everyone else – her brothers, father, and Harry - descend to the kitchen.

If Hermione had already been downstairs when Mrs. Weasley came up, that meant Hermione knew she hadn't slept in the right bed last night. Ginny knew she would have some explaining to do.

Ginny rubbed her eyes and went into the hall. A quick glance down the hall told her that she had counted the footsteps correctly – everyone was already downstairs. In fact, the sounds of chatter and silverware against plates was filtering up. Along with some very delectable breakfast smells.

Ginny went down the stairs. Everyone was splayed around the breakfast table and everything was already a mess. Harry looked up and smiled when Ginny descended, and she flashed him a grin. Ron gave her a slight nod, which Ginny took to mean he understood and wasn't about to break into angry yells. Hermione was eyeing her with her eyebrows raised.

"And the princess finally graces us with her presence!" yelled Charlie affectionately, glancing up as he reached for a plate of bacon.

"Want some coffee or tea, Ginny?" Mrs. Weasley said over the hubbub.

"Thanks, Mum, but I'll get it."

Ginny walked over to the counter, grabbed a glass, and began pouring herself some orange juice. Then she realized that all sound had stopped at the table behind her. She paused uncertainly mid-pour, and turned slowly.

"Erm…Gin," Bill said. Ginny swallowed when she realized everyone was looking at her. Except Harry, who was red. This was _not_ a good sign.

"What?" she said, grinning uncertainly, "Have I got something on my face?"

"More like your back," Fred said quietly. Charlie elbowed him.

"Ginny, dear," her Dad coughed out, "Why does it say 'POTTER' on your jumper?"

Ginny felt the colour rush to her face. She had worn a Quidditch jumper to bed. Obviously Harry had, too. And Harry's jumper had been on the ground last night – he'd slept without it. And then she, Ginny, had thrown her jumper off. And – Ginny's stomach plummeted – she hadn't checked which jumper Harry had thrown her this morning. So she was currently wearing Harry's jumper. Well, that wasn't bad at all...as long as….

"Ginny," Bill continued, "Isn't that the jumper Harry wore to bed last night?"

Oh, great.

o.o

**A/N: Sort of a cliffy, right? Okay, well I hope you liked this chapter – it was another SUPER FUN one to write. Let me know what you think! Also, I want your opinion on something. How far do you think I should take Harry and Ginny's…erm…physical relationship in this story? Of course I'm only going to describe up to a point since this story's T rated (and I think it'd get kind of uncomfortable for everyone involved), but that doesn't mean I can't imply that they do go farther. Just – what do you guys think?**


	32. The Tip of the Iceberg

**A/N: I just finished an anxiety-filled school day – chemistry and trig tests on the same day! Anyway, now that it's over, I thought I'd relax myself by writing. And posting…**

**Chapter 32**

**The Tip of the Iceberg**

_And – Ginny's stomach plummeted – she hadn't checked which jumper Harry had thrown her this morning. So she was currently wearing Harry's jumper. Well, that wasn't bad at all...as long as…._

"_Ginny," Bill continued, "Isn't that the jumper Harry wore to bed last night?"_

_Oh, great._

o.o

Ginny swallowed. The kitchen was very silent for a moment. Ginny saw Harry's adam's apple bob a little.

"Well, it's not…right?" said Charlie uncertainly.

"Right," Mrs. Weasley cut in, voice wavering between shock and indignation, "It's _not_. Right, Ginny?" Ginny winced as her mother raised her eyes and fixed her with a dangerous stare.

"Well…." Ginny began.

"Nah, of course it's not," Ron cut in. Ginny turned to look at him sharply. _What was he up to?_

"Harry saw Ginny on her way out of the loo this morning and she commented that it was right chilly out, so he just tossed that to her. I've got that right, haven't I, Ginny? Harry?" He returned Ginny's sharp look.

Ginny's brow creased. Ron covering for them? That was so…_nice_ of him. Ginny felt a rush of appreciation for her brother. Ginny realized that everyone was looking at her expectantly. "Mhmm…," she grunted noncommittally. There was another moment of tense silence as her family digested Ron's story, then they all seemed to accept it.

"Oh, well," Mrs. Weasley smiled indulgently at Harry, "That was very thoughtful of you. Goodness knows how many times I've told Ginny she needs to wear more than a tanktop to sleep."

Ginny rolled her eyes and almost protested that she did, in fact, wear her Quidditch jumper to sleep, but she realized how incriminating this would be, so she held her tongue. She glanced at Harry, whose face was returning to its normal complexion, though he seemed to be considering Ron curiously. She caught his eye and shot him a cheeky grin. He winked at her. Wow, he had a _perfect_ wink. Ginny felt her face warming up and quickly turned back to her juice. After all this time he could still make her feel so goddamn…giddy.

Ginny finished pouring her juice and slid into an empty chair at the table. She pushed up the too-long jumper sleeves. How had she not noticed that the sleeves were so long before? Ginny smiled inwardly at the realization that she felt so comfortable in Harry's clothes, she hadn't even noticed she was wearing them. In any case, she was shocked and not a little relieved that things hadn't gotten exponentially worse.

Ginny reached for the bacon platter as Fred and George eagerly began recounting their most recent business exploits.

"…and the Beauxbatons school board actually offered us 'monetary recompense' if we stopped shipping our products to their students," George was saying.

"'parently our Puking Pastilles are causing undue havoc!" Fred continued excitedly.

"You going to take their offer?" Percy asked seriously, sipping his coffee.

"Question is," Charlie cut in, "How much is this 'monetary recompense'?"

"You should not take it, Fred, George," Fleur cut in, "No matter how much zis recompense iz worth. None of you have been to Beauxbatons. 'Zere are days when one iz in real need of a way out of class. 'Ow I wish you two had been in business when I was in school!"

A cry of approval came up from the twins. "You sure picked a good one, Bill!" Fred said, grinning ear to ear.

"And we're of the same mind, Fleur!" George added, "We have a serious obligation to our fellow young 'uns. It would be unconstitutional of us!"

"That is," Fred cut in, "if we had a constitution."

"What I want to know," Mrs. Weasley cut in over the general appreciatory laughter, "is when the two of you are going to settle down. I'm not sure I approve of this perpetual bachelor status the two of you seem determined on!"

"Aw, Mum!" George protested.

"Hey! Charlie's still a bachelor!" Fred added. "And Percy!"

Mrs. Weasley chose to ignore these last comments. "What about Katie and Angelina. Those two are absolute dears. Are you seeing them?"

"We're all just friends, Mum," Fred said quickly.

"Katie's dating Oliver for goodness sake! I would have brought Alicia but she had some family reunion thing going on." George added.

"So are you and Alicia seeing eachother then?" Mrs. Weasley wanted to know.

"No!" Fred and George said together.

"We're all just jolly good friends, Mum."

"Yes, jolly good."

Mrs. Weasley sighed theatrically.

"Now, now, Molly," Mr. Weasley cut in, "I think these two have had enough of the hotseat for now."

"Oh, alright," Mrs. Weasley conceded, smiling. "I'll let you two off this time. But keep in mind that I am your mother, so I am entitled to embarrass you on a regular basis."

Fred and George groaned and the whole table burst into laughter.

o.o

After breakfast, Ginny, Harry, Ron, and Hermione took a walk to the pond behind the Burrow. Mrs. Weasley headed out to Mrs. Figg's for a chat, and Mr. Weasley hurried off to Diagon Alley with a very extensive list of food items that needed to be purchased. It was mid-March and comfortably breezy. The four of them sat on the water's edge. Ginny rolled up her pantlegs and swung her feet into the water, and Harry rested his head on her lap. Ron and Hermione lounged beside them. Ginny absentmindedly stroked Harry's hair, running her fingers through the messy black strands.

"It's not going to get any less messy, you know," Hermione said after a few moments of relaxed silence.

Ginny glanced down at what her hands were doing. "Oh," she said, "Sorry, didn't realize I was doing that."

"Keep doing it," Harry sighed, "It feels good."

Ginny smiled and ruffled his hair playfully.

Harry cleared his throat suddenly. "Ron?" he said quietly.

"Hm?" Ron muttered, rolling onto his side and propping his head on his hand.

"Thanks for earlier, yeah?"

Ron's face broke into a grin. "Ah, don't mention it. The look on your faces before I stepped in was enough of a reward, I can tell you."

"Ha-ha, Ron, very funny," Ginny quipped sarcastically. "But really Ron, you probably saved both our sorry hides. Mum looked like she was about to go spare."

"So anyone going to fill me in, here?" Hermione cut in, "Why, Ms. Weasley, weren't you in the correct bed this morning?"

"Because I was in Harry's," Ginny said easily. Hermione blinked. She obviously hadn't expected Ginny to be so…direct.

"Where was Ron?" the older girl said finally.

"In his bed," Ginny said.

Hermione looked momentarily confused. "Well, you didn't…," she trailed off. "Anyway, you _didn't_, I take it."

"No," Ginny said quickly, "We haven't and didn't. Ron found us in the morning. I had a bit of a…bad dream."

"Bloody nightmare, more like," Harry grumbled. "You sure you don't want me to kill Malfoy, Gin?" he continued, "Because I really, really want to. You wouldn't have to get me a birthday present for the next five years. Pretty please?" He blinked up at her with puppy-dog eyes.

Ginny laughed. "Lovely as that sounds," she said, "I rather prefer you at Hogwarts than in Azkaban."

"Well, I hear they give conjugal visits there," Ron cut in. "Kidding, kidding," he said, grinning, as Hermione shoved his arm.

"And what did this prat do when he found you?" Hermione said.

"Harry and I had a bit of a talk, is all," Ron said, nestling his cheek into the side of Hermione's leg.

"And Mr. Potter here seems to have won over Overprotective Git Number 6," Ginny added.

Harry laughed. "One down, five more to go," he said, ticking them off on his fingers.

"You could try a Quidditch analogy with Charlie," Ron said helpfully. "Works every time."

"Yeah," Harry said thoughtfully. "I could say something about Prefect responsibilities to Percy…."

"Prefect duties?" Hermione said, raising her eyebrow.

"Hey, I could make a connection! I'm very creative!"

"Uh huh," Hermione snorted.

"No," Ginny said suddenly, "You're not going to try and get them to stop being gits one at a time."

"What else am I supposed to do? Hey," he said slowly, looking up at her, "you don't think I can do it, do you?"

"I never said that," Ginny said, but a smile turned up the corner of her lips. Harry sat up.

"You don't think I can do it!" he said, in mock distress. Ginny pulled her feet from the water not a moment too soon. Harry pounced on her, tickling her mercilessly.

"I -," she gasped, laughing uncontrollably, "-never said – you – couldn't…."

"You implied! I'll have you know," Harry said over her giggles, "that I defeated the greatest dark lord of all time! I think I can take on five more brothers! Two of them are twins, anyway," he continued, not pausing in his tickling onslaught, "and if I convince one to butt out I've got both in the bag."

"Harry -," Ginny laughed, gasping for breath, "I – never – Harry, stop! – Harry!"

"Say I can do it!" Harry said as Ginny squirmed with laughter.

"Never!" she squealed between gasps.

"Say it!"

"No!"

"Say it!"

"Alright, alright! You can do it!"

"Thanks," Harry murmered. He stopped tickling and lowered his face to hers.

"You can do anything," Ginny breathed as Harry kissed her softly on the mouth.

"Alright, alright," Ron's voice cut in. "I may have accepted that you may or may not be shagging all over Hogwarts," here he paused and shivered, "but I'd still appreciate it if you kept things kid-friendly around me."

Harry pulled away and sat up, grinning mischevously at Ginny. "But you're still not going to try to win over my brothers one by one, Mr. Potter," Ginny said sternly.

Harry looked down at her, genuinely curious now.

"No," Ginny continued, "We're doing this now. Come on, Potter." And with that she stood up, grabbed Harry's hand, and started towards the Burrow.

"Ginny, what…?"

"We're setting things straight right now," she said shortly, and Harry allowed himself to be pulled along, Ron and Hermione hurrying confusedly behind them.

When they reached the Burrow, Ginny stopped in the sitting room. "Bill! Charlie! Percy! Forge! Come down here for a minute!"

"Ginny…," Harry said nervously.

"Take my lead, Harry," she said. "I know how to handle this."

"Alright," Harry said, still blinking a little uncomfortably, but he settled himself onto a couch beside Ron and Hermione.

A few moments later, Charlie came trundling down the stairs, followed in quick succession by Bill, Fred, George, and Percy.

"What's up, Ginnykins?" Charlie asked curiously at the bottom of the stairs.

"Sit, please," Ginny said by way of explanation. "We need to have a _very_ serious conversation."

"Erm…okay…," said Bill awkwardly, but the five of them quickly sprawled themselves around the room.

After a moment of silence, Ginny began. "First of all," she said slowly, settling herself into a cross-legged position on the floor, "I would like to ask Bill here how old he was when I walked in on him and Victoria in a…shall we say, rather compromising position."

Bill shifted uncomfortably and turned pink. "Um…seventeen. I was seventeen."

Fred and George grinned appreciatively and made to clap Bill on the back, but their movements were halted by Ginny's glare.

"Well, this morning," Ginny said calmly, "Ron's story about Harry's jumper was complete and utter, though admittedly brilliant, bollocks. I was wearing Harry's jumper because I slept in his bed last night and had to scramble so as not to be caught by Mum."

"You did _what_ last night?" Bill said, shocked. There was general uproar, but Ginny weathered the storm with an impatient expression on her face.

"Truth is," she sighed finally, "I had a nightmare about the Chamber, I had to make sure Harry was alright, and he asked me to stay because I was an utter mess."

That silenced them. Finally, Percy piped up. "Well, that was very…thoughtful of you, Harry."

"Erm…wasn't a problem," Harry said quietly.

"But my point isn't that Harry's a wonderful, amazing, brilliant person, because we all know that already," Ginny continued quickly. "My point is, I shouldn't have to lie to you lot about this kind of thing. We're siblings for Merlin's sake, not protector's of one another's honour! Because, what did I do when I caught you, Bill?"

Bill was nodding slowly, "You caught Mum on the stairs and told her you wanted to learn how to cook breakfast. She was so excited she didn't come up to check what I was up to."

"That's right," Ginny said. "And you were only seventeen! I'm eighteen, so I think it's high time you lot stopped pulling your overprotective brother cards at the first opportunity. Because, let's face it," Ginny said finally, "Harry and I are going to end up shagging eventually," she paused to let the words sink in. Harry was considering her carefully, and her brothers were silent. "And I don't want to deal with you lot when the time comes. Harry's intentions are plenty honourable, so you needn't fret your red little heads about that."

"I love your sister," Harry cut in unexpectedly. Ginny fought to keep her face from breaking into a pleased smile, "So please, please stop worrying about my intentions."

"Honestly," Ginny continued, letting her humour creep into her voice, "can't you lot just accept the bucket of mush that is me and Harry, understand that we're very much in love, and let us shag eachother or sleep together or have a good snog whenever we bloody well please?"

"Well," Charlie said finally. He paused, then finally, "I suppose we could do that." His face broke into a grin.

Fred and George let out a simultaneous low whistle. "We didn't realize you two were so _serious_. I mean, throwing the l-word around everywhere. Sheesh!" But the twins grinned their acceptance.

"But Gin," Bill said seriously, and Ginny's stomach dropped. "I'd avoid the kitchen and the pantry if I were you. Mum has a way of walking into both those places when you least expect it."

Ginny laughed from relief. "Thanks, Bill."

"Oh," said Percy, "And the attic. Stay out of the attic. That infernal ghoul starts yelling at the top of his lungs and that brings Mum up in about two seconds flat."

"Percy!" Ron said, face shocked, "Who in the world were you trying to get a snog in with. You are Percy Ignatius Weasley, aren't you?"

"Well, that one summer Penelope Clearwater came to visit, you recall?" Percy said, arching an eyebrow, his face tinged pink.

At that they all burst into shocked laughter. "Why didn't you tell us about this before, Perce?" Fred said, "We would have had much more respect for you!"

"A gentleman never kisses and tells," Percy said primly, and that had them all laughing harder.

"And Fred and I have timed it," George said, turning to Harry, "If Mum's cooking it takes her between seventeen and nineteen minutes to realize she hasn't seen you barrelling through lately. All roads lead to the kitchen, so she'd bound to get suspicious if she doesn't see you for a while. Especially if she doesn't see either of you. If she's bringing up fresh laundry of something, you've only got about seven point five minutes. She checks rooms sometimes."

"But if she does," Fred said, "we'll try and get her to believe you're out flying or something. That could buy you about three more minutes."

Harry grinned. "Thanks, guys."

"Oh, just imparting our brotherly wisdom," Fred and George said, waving it off.

"So you'll cover for us then?" Ginny pressed. "We're all equal? Merlin knows I've covered for all of you enough times. I'm finally going to get the same treatment?"

"We'll try, Ginnykins," Charlie grinned.

"You'd better," Ginny said dangerously, "Merlin knows I've got enough dirt on all of you to regret you'd been born if you try any more older-brother crap on me."

"Like what, Gin?" Harry said slyly.

"Yes, Gin, pray tell. What's some of this dirt?" Hermione said, smiling innocently.

"_Real_ dirt. Bill and Victoria is just the tip of the iceberg. Just the tip of the iceberg."

**o.o**

**A/N: So, what did you think? I figured Ginny and her brothers needed to work some stuff out and that they'd have to stop being so overprotective at some point. I hope it flowed well and didn't seem too, too random. I tried to make it fit. Anyway, let me know what you thought. I love feedback!**

**P.S. I checked my grade online, and I got 100 on my math test, so the time I was studying and not updating was apparently a little more worth it. :)**


	33. Here's to the Night

**A/N: Big milestone ahead. Enjoy…**

**Chapter 33**

**Here's to the Night**

_Here's to the nights we felt alive._

_- "Here's to the Night" Eve 6_

The rest of the weekend passed quickly. Harry, Ginny, Hermione, and Ron spent hours walking the Burrow grounds, lounging by the pond, talking in the clearings. That Sunday, Ginny was fitted for her bridesmaid's dress, and she received Hermione's promise that she'd get pictures of the wedding dress the moment Hermione picked one out.

Harry and Ginny Floo'd back to Hogwarts on Monday morning.

"You have papers to grade tonight?" Harry asked as they reached the hall where they always separated – Ginny to Charms on the right, Harry to Defence on the left.

"Mountains," Ginny groaned. "Third and Sixth years have tests today."

"You're joking," Harry said.

"Erm…no," Ginny said, smiling uncertainly.

"I'm giving my Sixth years a test today as well."

That made Ginny pause. "Wow," she said. "We're evil. Bet all the Sixth years are cursing through next week for assigning exams the same day."

"Well we didn't do it on purpose," Harry said defensively.

"True," Ginny conceded, "But that never stopped me from cursing teachers through next week. Figuratively, of course."

Harry smirked. "Well, we'll cut them some slack when we're grading, then," he said, "Teacher's Lounge after last class?"

Ginny grinned up at him. "It's a date. And don't be late." She paused, "Hey! That rhymed!"

Harry laughed and pecked her on the cheek. "See you later," he said, before turning and walking down the hall towards his classroom.

o.o

Ginny slid a sheaf of parchment onto each desk, glancing at the clock on the wall. "And you may begin…now." There was a flurry of sound as parchment was flipped over, followed soon thereafter by the harried scribbling of many quills.

It wasn't a very hard exam, Ginny thought to herself. Hardly qualified as a full on exam, really. More of a quiz. They shouldn't have any trouble with it.

She retreated back to her desk, sitting and pulling out the Third Years' papers. This was the only downside of Hermione's grading pens: they didn't work on free response tests. Answers came back too varied, and the pen couldn't award partial credit. She'd have to do these manually. God, I'm becoming so spoiled, Ginny thought, laughing at herself as she pulled out her own quill and a container of red ink and began reading the first paper.

Every few moments Ginny glanced up at the downturned heads of the Sixth Years. There were anti-cheating wards on the exam papers, but she looked nonetheless, just in case there were some Fred-and-George tricksters who'd managed to get around the charms. As they scanned the room, Ginny's eyes fell on a girl at the end of the second row, Lyddie Nichols, a Hufflepuff. The girl was staring down at her paper, but her eyes weren't moving, and her quill lay untouched on her desktop. Ginny watched her curiously. The girl's face was very pale. Ginny was about to get up and ask Lyddie if she was feeling alright, but then Lyddie looked up, saw Ginny watching her, and quickly picked up her quill and began scribbling away. Ginny's forehead creased, but she turned back to the papers on her desk, and when she looked up again, Lyddie seemed to be concentrated on her exam. Ginny shrugged it off.

An hour or so later, Ginny informed her class that their torture was at an end, that she'd have their exams back by the end of the week, and that they were now allowed to get a good night's rest. She waved her wand and Accio'd the test papers into her waiting arms. She glanced at her desk, saw it was in order, and followed her class out into the hall, locking her classroom behind her with a flick of her wand.

"That wasn't too bad," she heard someone mutter as she began down the hall.

"Yeah, Potter's wasn't too bad either, except the last question. About the werewolf? I could only remember four signs!"

Ginny smiled and made her way to the Teacher's Lounge. Harry was already sitting back on a couch when Ginny entered the room, his classroom being several hallways closer. Ginny sighed and sank to the floor in front of him, leaning her back against his legs. Harry had propped his stack of papers on his knee, balanced his inkwell on the armrest, and was busy flicking through the papers reluctantly.

"Oh, suck it up," Ginny grinned, spreading her own papers before her, "They're the ones who had to take the exam."

Harry sighed. "Feels just as bad though."

"Mmm," Ginny agreed, "It does, doesn't it? I heard yours wasn't too bad – except the last question," she teased.

"What?" Harry said from above her, "About werewolves? That was a gift!"

"Try telling _them_ that."

Harry groaned.

They sat quietly for several minutes, the silence punctuated only by parchment shuffling and the scratch of quills on wrong answers. After a particularly long bout of scribbling on Harry's part, Ginny winced. "Ouch."

"Yup. This one's not getting a N.E.W.T. next year."

And then they returned to their grading.

Ginny came to a partially empty paper. Confusion lit her eyes as she noticed the blank lines beneath seven of the twelve essay questions. She scanned the other answers. The page was littered with mistakes. And all of her other Sixth Years had been doing so well! She glanced at the name.

"I'll have to ask Lyddie what's wrong next class," she muttered to herself.

"Who?" Harry asked absentmindedly, his eyes still scanning the parchment before him.

"Lyddie Nichols. Hufflepuff. Failed this thing through and through. Strange, she's usually quite good," Ginny mumbled, reaching for the next sheaf of parchment.

"Nichols?"

"Mmhmm."

"That's odd," Harry said, and Ginny could tell by the tone of his voice that he was really paying attention now. "I think…here!" Ginny turned her head curiously to see Harry pull an exam from the completed stack he'd draped over the left armrest. "She bombed mine as well!"

He held the paper out, and Ginny took it. Blank lines, incomplete answers, off-topic answers. Ginny's forehead creased.

"Off day?" Ginny said.

"I'll bet it's boy trouble," Harry replied sagely.

"Hey! I resent that! Girl's don't fail exams just because of boys! You all think so highly of yourselves."

"Well, Ron failed plenty of exams because Hermione was sitting beside him."

Ginny laughed. "She'd be so disappointed in him."

"She was. Said she just couldn't understand it – she'd helped him study," Harry said thoughtfully. "He told me afterward he just couldn't concentrate when she kept twirling her hair around her finger."

Ginny snorted. "So easily distracted, that one."

"Well I just count myself lucky you were a year behind us and I never had classes with you."

Ginny looked at Harry, grinning. "That's sweet."

"Yeah," Harry continued, "You and that bloody lip-biting thing when you're concentrating."

"What?"

"You bite your lip when you concentrate," Harry said, meeting her gaze.

"I do?"

"Yeah, didn't you know that?" he said, and Ginny felt her heart beat a little faster. Then he shrugged as if it were the most obvious thing in the world and turned back to his papers.

"What are we going to do about Lyddie?"

"Like you said, probably an off day. Last thing she needs is a bunch of teachers jumping down her throat."

"True," Ginny conceded. "She'll probably be fine tomorrow."

They sat in silence for a few more minutes, then Harry spoke. "Oh, by the way, I've been meaning to ask you, Gin. I'm doing a dueling unit in class, and I was wondering if you wouldn't mind helping me demonstrate one day."

Ginny turned to look at him. "I'd love to, Harry, but you know, I've got this job where I have to teach at the same exact time as you. Damn inconvenient, really," she teased.

Harry laughed. "Where would I be without your comments and their dripping sarcasm? But I've got it worked out: the unit's for Sixth Years. I know you've got Hufflepuff and Ravenclaw Sixth last on Friday, and I've got Gryffindor and Slytherin Sixth last on Friday, so if you just bring your class along for the last ten minutes of class or so, we could demo the whole thing one time and get it over with. Would save me a load of trouble."

Ginny feigned disinterest. "Well…," she said slowly, "I've got tons planned for Friday. You know how hard I like to work right before a weekend. I mean, I've got them charming things to fly and everything! Could hardly be scheduled for any _other_ day but Friday."

Harry gave her a good nudge in the back with his knee. "Real funny, Gin," he replied, "So Friday, then? Ten minutes is all I'm asking."

Ginny turned all the way around, resting her chin against his legs and gazing up at him. "Ten minutes?" she said mischevously, "You think I'll beat your sorry bum that quickly? I wish I had your confidence."

"Would you like to up the time then?" Harry countered, eyes sparkling with challenge and laughter, "Say…never?"

"Nah," Ginny replied cooly, "Ten minutes is all I need."

o.o

"You're going to duel Harry Potter?" one of Ginny's students said, and Ginny could hear the near-hidden incredulity. She nodded, smirking.

"_The_ Harry Potter."

"I'm not sure I like your tone, Perkins!" she scoffed in mock indignation, "I'll have you know that I've bested Harry Potter on more than one occasion."

"Can we bet money on this, Professor?" someone said, and the class tittered with laughter.

"Now, now, this duel is solely for educational purposes," Ginny said primly. "Though," she said, lowering her voice conspiratorially, "if you want to do a little betting on the side, I'm not going to follow up on it. Just make sure you don't lose any Galleons betting on the wrong _man_," she added, emphasizing 'man'. Her students laughed appreciatively.

They were traipsing to the Defence room, and when they arrived in front of the large oak door, Ginny strode right in.

She grinned. Harry had magicked the desks out of the room and marked out a large dueling circle in white. Ginny saw the shimmer of magic enclosing the circle in a large, high dome – it would absorb stray spells and shield the watching students.

"You're late," came Harry's voice, filled with challenge and humour, from across the room. He was leaning back against a desk, twirling his wand casually in his right hand.

Ginny grinned, "Thought I'd give you a few minutes to gather your strength, Potter," she returned, "You're gonna need it."

The students all laughed and whispered at that, and Harry grinned wider. "Alright," he said, raising his voice to get the students' attention. "I've already introduced the unit – dueling. Professor Weasley and myself are going to be giving a little demonstration. Pay attention to the spell combinations and the evasive techniques. It's one thing to read things on paper, quite another to watch the things done. _And_," he added, glancing around, "_quite_ another to perform the spells and moves yourself, which you will be doing starting next Monday." There were excited gasps from around the room. Ginny smiled. Harry was some teacher alright.

"You're not going to go easy on her just because she's your girlfriend, are you, Professor?" said a Slytherin from a few feet away from Harry.

Ginny rolled her eyes. Slytherins were much more sociable these days, but she figured old habits died hard. A reply was on the tip of her tongue, but Harry was already speaking.

"No, I'm not. If I went easy on Professor Weasley I'd be on my back with bats flying out of my nostrils in about three seconds flat. She's beaten me before, and I'm under no false impressions that she can't do it again. As you'll soon see."

Ginny beamed at him. "That was very nice, Professor Potter," she said sweetly.

Harry looked at her warily. "Yeah, well, just keep my niceness in mind when you're aiming those spells, eh Weasley? Above the belt, right?"

The room erupted in laughter. "Alright, alright," Harry said finally, "The shield around the dueling circle will protect observers from stray spells, which there are always plenty of. You'll be learning how to form the shields next Tuesday, but for now, you can gather round. Professor Weasley, shall we?" Ginny walked calmly forward as the students clamored from front-row views of the duel. She winked at Harry, who winked right back, quite unconcernedly. She was going to enjoy this.

o.o

"Expelliarmus!" Ginny yelled. Harry got a small shield up just before he lost his wand.

"Avis Oppugno!" Harry yelled back. Canaries flew from his wand and directed themselves at Ginny.

"Duro!" Ginny countered quickly, throwing her arm up to aim at the pecking birds. They turned to stone and dropped to the floor, cracking the flooring.

"Oh, McGonagall's gonna go spare, Weasley," Harry said.

Ginny shrugged. "I'll fix it later," she answered nonchalantly. Both their voices were even, almost unconcerned, but both could tell that the other was tiring. The duel had being going for fifteen minutes. Class had ended several minutes ago, but none of the students had moved from the circle. Some were cheering, some watched openmouthed as the two professors wheeled around the circle. It was almost like dancing.

"Expulso!" Harry cried, and Ginny dodged. The pushing hex missed her chest, but brushed her arm as she wheeled to the side, and she was spun off balance. She thrust her arm out behind her to catch her fall, and the edge of her hand caught on one of the edges of the recently cracked floor. She felt a little blood seep from the cut.

There were panicked cries from around the circle as soon as she lifted her hand and the blood became visible. "Episkey," Ginny said quickly. The wound went first very warm and then very cold as the skin healed itself.

"Alright, Ginny?" Harry said. He stepped forward, concern etched on his face.

"I've had worse, Potter," she said truthfully, but she was silently a little touched by his concern.

"Impedimenta!"

"Impedimenta!"

They both yelled the spell at the same time. Neither dodged fast enough. The spells hit them both squarely in the chest, and they both fell back. Ginny suppressed a groan as her bum hit the floor.

The students surrounding the dueling circle erupted in cheering.

"Call it even, Weasley?" Harry said. He too was flat on his backside at the other end of the circle.

"Even," Ginny agreed.

Ginny righted herself and brushed some stray dust from the floor off her robes as Harry wrapped up the demonstration, explaining to the students that they were not to try dueling until they'd learned the proper precautionary spells. _Yeah right_, Ginny thought to herself. After that little demo, she doubted if a single Sixth Year wouldn't be dueling sometime this weekend. But she knew that, secretly, that's what Harry wanted. A little experimentation with the harmless spells they'd demonstrated wouldn't hurt anyone.

The students filed out of the room excitedly, laughing and commenting. Harry was waving his wand, removing the dueling circle and the shield and replacing the desks.

"Good duel, Gin," Harry said, coming over to her. Ginny hopped up onto one of the desktops, sliding her wand into her jeans pocket.

"Right back at ya," she grinned. Her heart was still pounding. "You tired?" she asked.

"As hell," Harry replied easily, and Ginny laughed. "You?"

"You had me running around that whole circle," she conceded, "Nice expulso, by the way. I haven't not dodged that one in years."

"Well, what can I say? I'm just that talented," his voice suddenly low and quiet.

"Oh, I'm sure," Ginny said, grinning up at him. Harry had moved a little closer, and Ginny was no longer sure if her heart was beating fast because of the duel or because of his nearness. She could feel his breath brushing her face. She met his eyes, which were boring into her. The playful smile was gone from his face, replaced by an unreadable expression. Ginny's breath quickened.

Just when Ginny was sure Harry was about to lean in and kiss her, he reached down and took her hand. He turned it over, examining the now-healed place where she'd been cut. She felt her skin burn where his fingers slid over her palm.

"You okay?" he asked, voice still pitched low and becoming strangely hoarse.

"Yeah," Ginny breathed, her words catching in her throat and turning into a whisper.

"Good," Harry said. "I was worried I'd hurt you." He brushed a stray piece of hair behind her ear. "I don't want to ever hurt you."

Ginny was finding it hard to swallow. "You couldn't. I'd kick your arse first."

Harry smiled at that, and he met her eyes again. "I really want to kiss you right now," he said softly.

"What're you waiting for?" she replied.

"I've no idea," Harry replied, and he leaned down and captured her lips with his own.

Ginny reached up and wrapped her arms around Harry's neck, feeling that familiar floating sensation, and then something entirely new – a warmth that seemed to emanate from her chest and spread throughout her stomach. She reveled in it.

She felt Harry's hands come to rest against her hips as he deepened the kiss. She felt herself beginning to lean back, and she knew at that moment exactly what was happening, and she grasped his wrists and sat up straight again.

"Your rooms, Harry," she said breathlessly. Harry, his eyes dark and burning with an intensity that made Ginny's breath hitch, nodded, grasped her hand, and led her out of the classroom.

Minutes later, they were in Harry's darkened rooms, the door locked securely behind them. They were kissing against the wall, and then they were moving towards the bed, never breaking apart. Ginny shivered as her back hit Harry's silky sheets, not from the cold, but from an indescribable and wonderfully heady anticipation. Harry was above her, kissing her, but suddenly he propped himself up on his elbows and looked down at her.

"I'll stop, Ginny. If you want me to stop, I swear I'll stop." Ginny stifled a laugh at the fierce determination in his voice.

"Do you want to stop?"

"Merlin, no," he breathed, and Ginny heard the hard honesty in his tone.

"Then don't," she said simply.

"Are you sure?"

"So, so sure," she replied. She had never been so sure of anything in her life.

"I love you. You know that, right?"

"I love you too, Harry," she breathed, looking straight into the deep green of his eyes.

And with a groan he lowered his lips to hers once more.

And soon there was much less clothing, much more heat, and Harry whispering in her ear how beautiful she was, how indescribably beautiful, and how much he loved her, would love her forever. And soon there was only Harry.

o.o

**A/N: Please review! I really like how this chapter turned out, and I hope you did too.**


	34. Dueling Surprises

**A/N: First off, there has been some confusion concerning the last line of the last chapter ("And soon there was only Harry."), and, looking back, I realize it may have been a tad bit unclear. Basically, I was trying to convey that, after a certain point, all of Ginny's senses were filled with Harry and only Harry – she wasn't aware of anything else in the world but him. I know that sounds horribly cliched, but that's the feeling I was trying to get across. So, no, Ginny didn't disappear or anything. Sorry 'bout that – hope it's clearer now, and thank you for pointing out the confusion. What would I do without you?**

**And now, onward!**

**Chapter 34**

**Dueling Surprises**

_And soon there was much less clothing, much more heat, and Harry whispering in her ear how beautiful she was, how indescribably beautiful, and how much he loved her, would love her forever. And soon there was only Harry._

Ginny slid slowly and languorously into consciousess. She was so warm and comfortable. Her eyes slid slowly open and she found herself looking into pools of deep green.

"Hi," she said softly, because she didn't think any particular words could express the veritable waves of contentment rolling comfortably over her.

"Hi," Harry replied, just as softly. "I would say 'Good morning, beautiful," – you know, like they do in all those films – but I'm pretty sure it's round about dinner time, which would kill the line, really."

Ginny rolled onto her back, staring up at the canopy, and Harry propped himself on his elbow to look down at her.

"What are you thinking?" he said after a moment of silence.

"That I'm hungry, but that I don't want to move. Lose-lose situation, really," Ginny teased, turning her head to flash him a grin.

Harry laughed. "Impossible to please, you are."

"You did a pretty good job of it earlier," Ginny replied cheekily.

Harry grinned widely, which made Ginny laugh. "Just for that, I'll go down and get you dinner. Straight from the kitchens. Fresh from the stoves, how's that sound?"

"Like heaven, actually," Ginny said slowly. "But I have a better idea," she added, her voice trailing off seductively.

Harry, who had been in a process of getting himself out of bed, paused and raised his eyebrows at her, as if unsure if he should be jumping to _those_ kinds of conclusions.

Ginny rolled her eyes, barely suppressing a grin. "I really think you should come back to bed." She raised her eyebrows at him.

Then, very suddenly, Harry pounced. He pinned her under the sheet and began tickling her mercilessly. Ginny squealed and writhed with laughter. And just when tears of mirth were beginning to roll down her face and Ginny was sure she'd soon going to laugh out a lung, Harry silenced her with a long, hard, mindblowing kiss.

o.o

The next week passed with wonderful slowness. Ginny slept in Harry's bed every night. Whether or not they did anything but sleep seemed immaterial. There was comfort in sleeping curled against him and comfort in waking up in his arms. Ginny could only describe it all as pure, unadulterated bliss.

It was the next Friday afternoon, and Ginny was skirting the edges of the Defence classroom, watching the dozens of pairs of students hurl hexes and curses at one another within large, clear shield-domes. The room had been magically enlarged to hold the duels that were progressing at full tilt within.

"Good, Robbins, but aim a little lower next time. See how his arm comes up just before he curses? Try to throw your spell beneath that arm," Ginny said. She watched that duel for a few more moments. Then, satisfied that Robbins and her partner were doing well, moved to the next dome.

Harry and Ginny had gone to McGonagall a few evenings ago and gotten permission to combine their Sixth Year classes for dueling practice every Friday afternoon. McGonagall had agreed, having been convinced that dueling would help the students improve not only their defence skills, but their defencive charms as well.

Speaking of Harry…Ginny glanced up, saw him moving between dueling circles at the other end of the room. He looked up and met her gaze, flashing her a grin that made her knees a little weak. But she grinned cheekily back.

A few moments later, Ginny looked up again and realized that Harry was slowly threading his way through the circles towards her. She stopped moving around, allowing herself to become engrossed on a particular duel to give Harry a chance to reach her. Sooner than she expected, her was standing beside and a little behind her. He spoke directly into her ear, and she shivered a little, despite the mundane nature of his words.

"I think Lucas and Cass are the most promising pair so far. Perhaps we can ask them to demonstrate later?"

Ginny turned her head to look at the pair a few circles off. Charlotte Lucas was a Gryffindor. Her partner, David Cass, was a Slytherin. Their faces were both serious with concentration, their bodies unconsciously bent into dueling stance. They were firing off spells in an impressively rapid manner.

"You know they're dating?" Ginny said off-handedly.

"No…." Harry said skeptically. Ginny grinned back at him and nodded.

"Going on three months now."

"And how are you so informed about your students' love lives, Miss Weasley?" Harry said playfully, cocking an eyebrow at her.

"I happen to be very approachable, thank you very much," Ginny replied primly. "I think the Daily Prophet's exact words were 'young and well-liked.'"

"Ah, right," Harry laughed, "How could I forget?"

"That and I caught them going at it in my classroom after dinner three nights ago," Ginny added.

"No!" Harry said, turning with shock to the dueling couple again, this time appraising them more carefully. "You're joking."

"Cross my heart," Ginny said seriously. She glanced at the couple again. Lucas seemed to have just succeeded in hexing her boyfriend to the ground and was in the process of good-naturedly helping him up. "They're look nice together, though," she observed.

"Not as nice as us," Harry replied. Ginny's heart warmed as Harry surreptitiously brushed her hand with his.

"Oh, Harry," she said, "I forgot to mention. Hermione and I are meeting for drinks at around seven."

"Is this some sort of pre-Hen-party?" Harry said in mock-accusation.

Ginny laughed lightly. "Yes, I suppose you could call it that."

"Okay then," Harry said. Then, in lowered tones, "I'll see you afterwards then?"

Ginny turned to look up at him over her shoulder. "You bet your bum you are. You're not getting rid of me that easily."

Harry grinned. "Well, good then, so I'll see you…."

Suddenly there was a frantic yell and several shocked gasps from behind them. Both Harry and Ginny whirled. Lyddie Nichols was lying prone on the floor of her dueling circle, her partner bent over her in panic.

"What happened?" Ginny said, rushing over. Harry dissolved the shield with a wave of his wand and Ginny sank to a knee beside Lyddie, who was out cold.

"Step back everyone," Ginny said quickly as groups of shocked students dissolved their own shields and hurried over. "Please step back." Ginny placed a hand on Lyddie's cheek. It felt a little clammy.

"I didn't even hit her," Lyddie's partner was saying, voice filled with fear. "I cast an Expelliarmus, she dodged it, and then she said she felt really dizzy and just collapsed!"

"It's okay, Jillian," Harry was saying. "Don't worry, I'm sure she'll be fine. Is she completely unconscious?" he asked, looking to Ginny.

"Yeah," Ginny confirmed. "Harry, you stay here and finish class, I'll take her to the Hospital Wing."

"You can carry her?" Harry said uncertainly.

"Of course," Ginny replied, grasping the girl under the arms and knees and standing. And it was the truth, Lyddie was light as a feather. This fact concerned Ginny even more. Nodding to Harry, Ginny swept quickly from the room, hurrying toward the Hospital Wing.

o.o

Several minutes later, Ginny was pacing nervously on the other side of the long white curtain that shielded Lyddie and Madam Pomfrey from view. Poppy Pomfrey was bustling around inside; Ginny could see the shadow of movement coming through the curtain.

Finally, the school nurse stepped out, face serious. She pulled the curtain firmly closed behind her before turning to face Ginny.

"Is she alright, Madam Pomfrey?" Ginny asked, stilling her movements.

Madam Pomfrey sighed, and Ginny's stomach dropped. "She'll be fine," the matron said finally. She pursed her lips, as though reluctant to say more.

"What – what was wrong with her? What did she have?" Ginny pressed. A strange sort of guilt was creeping into Ginny's stomach. She'd noticed that Lyddie looked ill a full week ago and hadn't even asked if the girl was alight. She'd chalked it up to boy trouble and left it at that. What if there was truly something wrong with her?

Madam Pomfrey's pursed lips became even thinner, if that were possible. "I think it's best that we call Minerva down before I voice my suspicions in that regard."

"Oh," Ginny said uncertainly, "Shall I Floo her then?"

"No, no, I can do it, dear," Madam Pomfrey said, sweeping past Ginny to the fireplace. A moment later, the nurse was speaking into the grate. Ginny's view of McGonagall was obscured by the voluminous hospital robes that Pomfrey wore.

"Minerva," she was saying, "There's a student here, a Sixth Year. Collapsed in DADA. I think you'd best come down to hear my diagnosis. I can't be sure of it yet, but I really think you ought to be here. It's important."

Madam Pomfrey stepped away from the grate. "Madam Pomfrey…," Ginny began.

"Please, dear, it's Poppy to staff members," the woman said, giving Ginny a slightly strained smile.

"Well, Poppy then," Ginny said uncertainly, "Would it be alright for me to Floo Harry – Professor Potter, that is – to let him know what's going on. I know he's worried about Miss Nichols, and I'd just like to let him know that she'll be fine."

"Yes, yes, of course. That's very thoughtful of you. Amiss of me to forget. Go ahead while we wait for Minerva."

Ginny moved to the grate. She cast some powder into the flames and said 'Defence Against the Dark Arts classroom' as clearly as she could. A moment later, Harry's head, face wracked with concern, appeared suspended before her.

"Ginny? Is Lyddie alright?"

"Yes," Ginny said, watching Harry breath a sigh of relief, "But Madam Pomfrey doesn't want to say what she thinks it is until Professor McGonagall gets here."

This gave Harry pause. He looked at her curiously. "Why does McGonagall have to be there?"

Ginny shrugged, "Poppy said it was important."

"Important?" Harry said questioningly.

"I've no idea either," Ginny said. "But I guess we'll find out soon enough." She could hear footsteps coming closer to the Hospital Wing even as she spoke the words. "I think McGonagall's here."

"Alright," Harry said, "I'll be down there as soon as class is over."

"Okay. Bye, Harry."

"Love you."

"Love you, too," Ginny said. She turned away from the grate as Professor McGonagall entered the Hospital Wing.

The Headmistress nodded greeting the Ginny and passed quickly to stand before Madam Pomfrey. Ginny joined them.

"What is it, Poppy? Is the poor girl going to be alright?" McGonagall said, glancing at the curtains that kept Lyddie from view.

"Yes. She only fainted from lack of food. She hasn't been eating enough, my guess is she hasn't been nourishing herself properly for at least a week and a half. The pure exhaustion coupled with the dueling…her system just caved."

"But she'll be alright?" McGonagall pressed.

"Yes, that's easy enough to fix. The problem is how she became malnourished in the first place."

"Why? What is it?" Ginny said.

"The lack of proper food in her system, the level of malnutrition to which she had progressed leads me to suspect that she certainly wasn't eating enough for herself. Probably nervousness and stress contributed. She wasn't consuming enough for one, let alone for two."

There was a pause as the words sank in. Ginny's stomach dropped with realization, and she saw McGonagall's eyes widen in shock.

"Surely you don't mean…what are you saying, Poppy?" the Headmistress said finally, just barely managing to keep her voice even.

"I'm saying, Minnie, Ginevra," Madam Pomfrey said, looking them each in the eyes before glancing to Lyddie's curtained bed, "that I suspect that Miss Nichols is pregnant."

o.o

**A/N: There's more I wanted to write for this chapter, but I don't have time to write it right now, and I figured I'd post what I've got for you to read in the meantime. Congrats to those of you that said you had a feeling the Lyddie thing was going somewhere – go you! And it's gonna keep going somewhere, so stay tuned!**

**Please review! Odds seem high I'll reach 600 reviews this chapter (I hope!). Seems like only yesterday I was saying the same for 500 reviews. You guys are awesome! Can't thank you enough!**


	35. A Certain Spell and Certain Results

**A/N: Sorry for the uber-long wait…**

**Chapter 35**

**A Certain Spell and Certain Results**

"_I'm saying, Minnie, Ginevra," Madam Pomfrey said, looking them each in the eyes before glancing to Lyddie's curtained bed, "that I suspect that Miss Nichols is pregnant."_

Ginny felt her jaw go slack with shock. Beside her, McGonagall swallowed.

"P-pregnant, Poppy?" McGonagall said, voice wavering only a little.

"Yes," Madam Pomfrey said, "I mean, I cannot be sure," she said quickly. "If she is, it's much too early to be certain."

Ginny closed her mouth. "When can you be certain?" she said.

Madam Pomfrey stepped away from them and walked crisply into her office. She returned a moment later with a small, worn book. "I can know by this evening," she said, flipping pages rapidly. "The potion," she settled on a page, skimmed her fingers down it, "takes four hours to brew."

"It would best if you brewed it as soon as possible, Poppy," McGonagall said firmly, "But first we must be sure the poor girl gets properly nourished. Miss Weasley, can you handle that while Poppy prepares the potion?"

Ginny nodded, glancing over to the still-drawn curtains of Lyddie's bed. "Thank you, dear," Madam Pomfrey said, "Then I'll summon a House Elf to bring you the proper food. You'll have to Ennervate her, but she must have something to eat as soon as possible."

"Of course," Ginny said.

"Is the potion reliable at this stage, Poppy?" McGonagall said, "I would like to contact Ms. Nichols' parents as soon as possible, but I don't wish to alarm them unnecessarily."

"Very reliable," Madam Pomfrey said, "But it cannot, of course, be a hundred percent certain. There's a chance of false results, especially if she's only in the very early stages of her pregnancy."

"Alright, Poppy, I'm sure you'll do your best," McGonagall said seriously. "And thank you, Miss Weasley." The older witch nodded to Ginny, then swept from the Hospital Wing.

"Alright, Ginevra," Madam Pomfrey said, "I'll send up the House Elf with some nourishment. I'd best go to Horace for the potion ingredients as soon as possible."

Ginny nodded and Pomfrey, too, swept from the Wing. Ginny walked to Lyddie's bedside. She pulled back to curtains, bit her lip at Lyddie's pale face, and conjured a chair, which she pulled up by the girl's bedside.

A week ago, Ginny had noticed how pale and tired Lyddie looked. Now, she realized that the girl was extremely thin as well. Ginny carefully pushed a stray lock of Lyddie's white-blonde hair behind the girl's ear.

A few moments later, a soft pop signalled the arrival of the House Elf Madam Pomfrey had promised. Ginny didn't recognized him, but he smiled brightly at her and proferred a tray of food.

"Madam Pomfrey sent this up, Professor Weasley," he said politely. Ginny took the tray and balanced it on her lap.

"Thank you…."

"Winkers," the elf supplied.

"Winkers," Ginny smiled, "Right. Thanks."

When Winkers had popped away again, Ginny sighed and turned back to Lyddie. Holding the tray in her lap with one hand, Ginny pulled her wand from her robes and whispered the _Ennervate _spell.

Immediately, Lyddie began to stir. Ginny reached for the girl's hand as her eyes fluttered slowly open and were filled instantly with alarm.

"Lyddie," Ginny said gently, "You're in the Hospital Wing. You fainted during deuling, but Madam Pomfrey's going to have you fixed up in no time."

Lyddie's eyes immediately snapped open and filled with what Ginny knew was fear. The girl shrank back a little.

"Don't worry," Ginny said soothingly, "I have some food here for you. Will you eat something for me?"

"I can't…I can't be in the Hospital Wing," Lyddie stammered, fully awake now, "Madam Pomfrey can't examine me!"

"Lyddie, Lyddie," Ginny said, drawing her hand back and raising both arms placatingly, "Madam Pomfrey has already examined you."

"B-but," Lyddie said, eyes widening and tears starting, "What about…she doesn't…there isn't…."

"Lyddie," Ginny said, thinking of all the times her own Mum had comforted her, "Madam Pomfrey suspects that you might be pregnant."

The lack of shock on Lyddie's face told Ginny for certain that the girl had already known, or rather, suspected her own condition. Ginny continued quickly; panic was registering quickly on Lyddie's face.

"We're going to do a test this evening, alright?"

"And my parents…," Lyddie whispered.

"Won't be contacted until we're certain either way," Ginny said firmly, reaching out to grip Lyddie's hand again. "But first," she said, "You've got to eat something. Here, let's prop you up a little better than that."

Ginny helped Lyddie to arrange herself comfortably on the pillows, then placed the tray of food in the girl's lap. "Now," Ginny said, "You've got to finish the entire thing. No excuses."

Lyddie nodded, then hesitantly began to dig into the food piled high on the tray. There were a few moments of silence. Ginny busied herself with conjuring a few books and a vase of daisies for the bedside table. She thought she ought to have something to say to Lyddie…encouraging words or something. She was a teacher after all…but nothing came to mind. She was rather bad at all this, she decided with a pang.

Minutes passed in which the only sounds were Lyddie chewing and scraping food around on her plate. Then, suddenly, the younger girl set her fork down decidedly on the tray.

"Finish up the rest, yeah?" Ginny grinned, "You know how Madam Pomfrey gets when you…."

"You think I'm a terrible person, don't you?" Lyddie said suddenly, her voice completely steady now. Ginny thought she saw defiance lighting the girl's eyes.

"No," Ginny replied, just as firmly and without hesitation. "No. I don't."

It was obvious that Lyddie hadn't been expecting that answer, but she recovered quickly. "You're disappointed in me, though. Everyone's going to be disappointed."

"I'm not disappointed in anyone," Ginny said seriously, taking Lyddie's tray and setting it on the bedside table. "And let them think what they want, whoever _they_ are."

Lyddie regarded her for a moment, as if trying to decide if Ginny was being genuine. Ginny stared right back. Finally, Lyddie sank back against the pillows and sighed. "When will the test be ready?" she said softly, not meeting Ginny's gaze.

"Less than four hours," Ginny replied.

"Okay," Lyddie said, "Thank you for the food, Professor. Can I finish it later?"

"Sure, Lyddie," Ginny said quietly.

A few moments later, Lyddie had drifted back into slumber.

o.o

Ginny felt a brush of warmth against the top of her head. She blinked her eyes open. Somewhere along the line, she'd fallen asleep.

"Harry?" she said.

"Hmm?" Harry said. She heard him whisper a conjuring spell and then he sank into a chair beside her.

"What time is it?" Ginny glanced around. The Hospital Wing was very quiet, and Lyddie was still fast asleep on her bed. "I must have fallen asleep."

"Well," Harry grinned suggestively, voice low, "I _have_ been keeping you up nights."

Ginny swatted him on the arm, but she grinned at him.

"About five thirty," Harry said softly, "I came as soon as I could, but Roberts wanted a little extra help with his Shield and I couldn't get away."

"Don't worry," Ginny said back, voice low, "Madam Pomfrey…Poppy, that is, should be back with the potion soon, then."

"The potion?" Harry said curiously.

"Oh," Ginny said, "Right…um…come on." She grasped Harry's hands and pulled him to the other side of the curtains and across the Wing.

"Right, well…," Ginny said, not quite sure how to begin, "Well…Madam Pomfrey sai she thinks Lyddie might be…well, pregnant."

"What!?" Harry said, but Ginny grasped his arm and he hushed. "I mean…that is…_what_!?"

"Pregnant, Harry," Ginny said softly, rolling her eyes, "As in, 'bun in the oven' and all that."

"Right," he said slowly, blinking rather a lot, "That's a bit of a surprise, then."

Ginny couldn't help but giggle a little. "Yeah, you reckon?"

"Yeah, I reckon so."

Ginny stood on tiptoe to peck him lightly on the end of his nose. "Well, in any case, Madam Pomfrey's brewing a potion tonight, so we'll know for sure in a bit."

"Who do you think the fa…."

Just then, they heard the clackign of Madam Pomfrey's shoes coming towards the ward. "That'll be her with the potion, then," Ginny said. They started back toward the lighted end of the Wing.

"Oh, there you are, dear," Madam Pomfrey said as she rounded the corner into the ward, "And hello, Harry, dear."

Ginny glanced down to the stoppered beaker in Madam Pomfrey's hand. "Is that the…."

"Yes," Madam Pomfrey said, following her gaze.

"Well, alright," Harry said awkwardly, "I think I'd better go then. Don't exactly think she'd appreciate my being here."

"I suppose I'll come with you, then," Ginny began.

"Nonsense," Madam Pomfrey said, "Ginevra I think you ought to stay. I'll need you to help me measure out the amounts."

"Erm…okay," Ginny said, not totally sure what the matron meant. "I'll see you later, then?" Ginny said, turning to Harry.

"Sure, Gin," Harry said, "Though haven't you got dinner with Hermione?"

"Oh, right," Ginny said. "I guess I forgot…with all this…."

"Understandable," Harry grinned, "I'll meet up with you afterwards, yeah?"

"'Course," Ginny smiled. Harry gave Ginny's hand a squeeze, nodded politely to Madam Pomfrey, and exited the Hospital Wing.

As soon as Harry had left, Madam Pomfrey began rummaging about in a cabinet near her office door. She pulled out a small cauldron and set it down on a small table that she summoned to Lyddie's bedside.

"Erm…Poppy…what exactly…?" Ginny said.

"Let's see…," Madam Pomfrey began muttering under her breath, "Oh, yes, I'll need…." She went to the cabinet again, this time pulling out a tall measuring cylinder with volume measurements in rings up the sides. She gestured for Ginny to take the cylinder. "I think this potion's a bit different than the regular healing ones you've seen, dear," Madam Pomfrey began, now letting water flow from the tip of her wand into the empty cauldron. "It's not taken orally. We'll be mixing this base potion," she lifted the stoppered beaker, which Ginny now observed was filled with a deep purple liquid, "with water. As soon as the two potions mix, they'll dissipate throughout the room and we'll have our answer."

"How…exactly?" Ginny said, stepping up beside Madam Pomfrey, measuring cylinder still in hand.

"The dissipated liquid makes women who are with child glow."

"…glow," Ginny repeated.

"Yes, dear," Madam Pomfrey said, "Glow. A sort of golden aura, so to speak. Only for about half an hour, though. They won't glow permanently, of course." Here Madam Pomfrey gave a tinkling laugh, as though she'd just said something enormously funny.

Ginny managed to smile a little. "Alright, then," she said seriously, "What do I do?"

"Well, I'll need you to measure out five milliliter increments of the base potion and pour them into the water when I say. I'm going to be stirring. It's quite a complex stirring count," she continued, "Not that I don't trust you, dear, but it _is_ very complicated. By all accounts you were an excellent Potions student."

"Oh…erm…thanks," Ginny said, smiling.

"Alright, I think we're ready," Madam Pomfrey said. "I think we'd best wake Ms. Nichols. I don't think she'd take kindly to being tested while asleep."

"Right," Ginny said. She moved next to Lyddie and shook the girl's shoulder gently. "Lyddie?" she said softly as the girl opened her eyes. "Madam Pomfrey's back with the potion."

"The…_the_ potion?" Lyddie said, suddenly wide awake and sitting straight up.

"Yes, dear," Madam Pomfrey said, and Ginny stepped back, "But don't worry. It's very simple. Professor Weasley and I are going to brew the potion, and the room will get a tiny bit smokey, and if you are going to have a child, dear, you'll glow golden a bit."

From her place behind Madam Pomfrey, Ginny could see Lyddie's eyes brimming with tears. "Oh, don't cry, dear," Madam Pomfrey said soothingly, "You've nothing to be afraid of."

Lyddie's tears were overflowing now, water sliding down her cheeks. "Are you alright?" Madam Pomfrey said after a moment.

Lyddie swiped at her face, set her lips determinedly, "Nervous, is all," she said firmly. "Best get this over with."

"Good, dear," Madam Pomfrey said, smiling kindly. "Alright, Miss Weasley, please put in the first five milliliters."

Ginny carefully unstoppered the bottle of purple potion and measured out five milliliters. She poured the liquid carefully into the cauldron, where it splashed lightly into the water. Madam Pomfrey began to stir, face serious with concentration and locked on her stirring rod, lips moving in silent count. Every so often she would move her stirring rod in a different direction, making complex patterns in the liquid. "Next," she said after a moment, and Ginny poured in the next five milliliters.

Slowly, a light purple smoke began to form, spilling in light waves from the cauldron and floating throughout the room. Ginny glanced quickly at Lyddie. The girl was even more deathly pale than before, staring straight ahead and biting her lip with nervousness.

"Next," Madam Pomfrey said, and Ginny added the next bit of potion to the mixture.

A few minutes later, Madam Pomfrey spoke again, eyes still locked on the mixture with concentration, "You can put that down now, dear," she said, "I think we have the right mixture. Now let's just let it produce a bit more steam to be certain."

Ginny set the bottle of potion and the measuring cylinder carefully on the table and glanced at Lyddie. The girl didn't show signs of glowing, but she looked a bit faint.

"Madam Pomfrey…," Ginny said slowly. Lyddie had closed her eyes and seemed to be swaying a little from dizziness, "I don't think Lyddie's feeling well."

And then, just as Madam Pomfrey looked up, Lyddie collapsed from her sitting positions and back onto her pillows. Madam Pomfrey abandoned the cauldron and rushed to Lyddie's bedside, putting her hand to Lyddie's forehead and feeling her cheeks.

"Is she alright, Madam Pomfrey?" Ginny said, rushing to stand just behind the matron.

"Yes, yes," Madam Pomfrey said quickly, "She'll be quite alright. She was just too anxious, I think, which was probably entirely my fault. Perhaps it _would_ have been better to perform the test while she was sleeping. Thank you for your help, dear," she added, still not turning around, "You can go if you like."

"Oh," said Ginny, surprised, "Well…if you're sure…."

"Yes, yes," Madam Pomfrey said, still fussing over Lyddie's unconscious body, "She'll be quite alright. Thank you for your help. You may come visit in the morning if you'd like."

"Well, alright then," Ginny said. She stepped out of range of the cloud of light-purple smoke and cast one last glance at Lyddie's prone form, Madam Pomfrey hunched over her, before exiting the Hospital Wing.

o.o

Ginny made her way back to her dormitory, glad she didn't meet any curious students on her way there. She was sure they would ask about Lyddie and hadn't quite worked out what she would say. In any case, she was already a little late for her dinner with Hermione, and that girl was tense as a spring these days. They had agreed to meet at the Three Broomsticks.

Reaching her rooms, Ginny ran her fingers through her hair and shed her heavy robes before stepping quickly into the grate.

Moments later, she exited the Floo into the hustle and bustle of the Diagon Alley bar. Ginny stood on tiptoe to see over the crowd and caught sight of a mane of bushy brown hair sitting at the bar. Hermione was nursing a Butterbeer as Ginny quickly wove her way over.

"I'm sorry, Herm," Ginny said in a rush, dropping into a stool beside her friend. Hermione looked up as Ginny sat. "But you will never _believe_ what just happened in…yes, a Butterbeer, please," she said to an inquiring Madam Rosmerta. She turned back to Hermione, "You will not _believe_ what…." She trailed off. Hermione was looking at her very strangely.

"What?" Ginny asked, cocking her head to one side and regarding her friend suspiciously.

"Ginny…," Hermione said slowly, setting down her Butterbeer.

"What?" Ginny said, smiling exasperatedly.

"Ginny," Hermione started again, "why are you glowing?"

o.o

**A/N: Phew. This one was a bugger to write, but came out as sort of a rush once I got into it. And…views are good from cliffs, eh? Anyway, I'll try to post asap! Sorry for the wait on this one.**

**Review, please! I'd really like to know where you think it should go from here and what you think!**

**Oh, and sorry to everyone that got a bunch of alerts for my other story "Every Hatred". I kept noticing little mistakes after I posted and they were driving me crazy, so I had to repost twice. Sorry again!**


	36. When Ginny Told Harry

"Ginny…," Hermione said slowly, setting down her Butterbeer

**A/N: This chapter was one of my favourites to write – hope you like it! Oh, and thanks for the ****record number**** of reviews last chapter – you have NO idea how utterly inspiring and lovely that is! Anyway, read on…**

**Chapter 36**

**When Ginny Told Harry**

"_Ginny…," Hermione said slowly, setting down her Butterbeer._

"_What?" Ginny said, smiling exasperatedly._

"_Ginny," Hermione started again, "why in the world are you glowing?"_

o.o

Ginny stood so quickly she almost sent her Butterbeer flying; her barstool screeched loudly across the floor.

"Ginny!" Hermione exclaimed loudly, but Ginny hardly heard her. She fled the noise of the bar and turned the corner to the loos. She threw herself into the women's restroom, turning the lock with shaking fingers. The sound it made as it clicked into place seemed to reverberate loudly.

Ginny stood, back to the door, breathing hard. She kept her eyes shut tight, determined not to look in the mirror. _Glowing_. She couldn't be…could she? She'd only just slept with Harry for the first time a week ago. That wasn't nearly long enough for something like _this_ to happen…was it? But…oh, Merlin…the Contraceptive Charm. She hadn't…they hadn't….

A frantic pounding on the door tore Ginny from her thoughts. "_Ginny Weasley!_" Hermione was saying sternly, "You open this door right now!" A pause, then, "Ginny," Hermione repeated, more gently now, "If there's something wrong, I can help, you know. I can…."

Ginny stepped forward, turned, and unlocked the bathroom door before she could think more of it. The moment the lock unclicked, Hermione was inside the room, shutting and relocking the door behind her.

"Tell me I'm not," Ginny said, voice low and monotone. She was facing Hermione now, back still determinedly set to the mirror, and she saw the flash of confusion in Hermione's eyes. "Tell me I'm not actually glowing," she repeated, her voice nearly a whisper now. "Tell me it was a trick of the light outside, and I am not emitting light, golden or otherwise."

"Ginny…," Hermione said slowly, taking the younger girl's hand, "You _are_ glowing. Can you tell me what this is about?" Her voice was gentle, soothing.

Ginny felt the emotions surging within her. She was pregnant. Madam Pomfrey had said that anyone in the room who was pregnant would glow as soon as they came in contact with the mixed potion. And she was glowing. She was pregnant. This was…this was….

"Ginny," Hermione said, sounding more and more concerned by the minute. "Ginny, what happened? Did you…."

"A potion," Ginny said. Her voice came out strained; her throat felt as though it was clogged, "Madam Pomfrey brewed a…brewed a…," she trailed off. She couldn't get any more words out.

"A potion? You're glowing because of a potion?" Hermione said, looking searchingly into Ginny's eyes. Ginny stared back at her numbly and saw the sudden recognition cloud the older girl's eyes. "Oh, Merlin, Ginny," Hermione said softly, "Not _that_ potion?"

Ginny nodded. "Yes," she managed, "There was a girl…fainted in Defense and I took her to the Hospital Wing." Ginny swallowed. "Madam Pomfrey thought she might be…," Ginny trailed off again. Somehow, the word stuck in her throat. "Well," she continued finally, "she brewed the potion and now I'm…."

"Ginny," Hermione said soothingly, reaching out to rub Ginny's arm, "I know how it works."

"Right," Ginny said softly, "Right. Of course you do."

"And Harry…?" Hermione said, letting her sentence hang.

Ginny looked up sharply, "Of course, Harry," she said quickly. "But he doesn't…I mean, I haven't…."

"Oh," Hermione said. "Well this is…I mean…a surprise, isn't it? I didn't even know you two were…erm…I mean, not that I would expect to have been informed the moment it…it…happened."

"Last week," Ginny said simply. "We only just…well…last week."

"Now, Gin," Hermione said, and she seemed to be carefully choosing her words, "if you're only a week along, there's a chance that the potion gave a false positive. It does that sometimes; I've read dozens of cases. We'll have to perform a second test in a week just to be sure." Ginny nodded, still numb. "I'll come to the school next Friday, alright? We'll do it then." Ginny nodded again.

"Thank you, 'Mione," she said quietly.

"_But_ if you are pregnant…well," Hermione continued, "it's not really surprising that your Contraceptive Charm didn't work properly. I mean, if neither of you had practised it or done it before, it makes sense that you wouldn't have gotten very good at it. Mistakes are bound to happen the first couple of times and…." She stopped at the violent flush on Ginny's cheeks. "Oh, Ginny, you did use a Contraceptive…didn't you?"

Ginny looked away, unable to meet Hermione's eyes.

"Well," Hermione said, "I know what it's like to be you then, don't I?" Ginny looked back to Hermione sharply. She had been fully expecting a few "_Oh, Ginny_"'s and a lecture. It was one of those things that came with being friends with Hermione.

"Wait…what?" she said.

"Well, Ron and I weren't exactly very careful when we had sex," Hermione said. Her tone was matter-of-fact, but she was flushing furiously. "I mean, look at the state I'm in." She gestured down to her heavily pregnant stomach. She met Ginny's eyes again, and suddenly, Ginny found herself beginning to laugh.

"No," she said, sinking to the floor and feeling her vision blur with tears (tears of what, she didn't know). She was hardly containing her mirth as she continued, "No, I suppose you can't exactly lecture me, can you?"

Hermione slid carefully to the floor beside her, groaning a little with the effort of it. As it was, she stretched her legs out before her to take some of the tension off her stomach.

"Look at you," Hermione said, eyes flashing and mouth curving in humour. "You're a mess." She reached over a brushed a tear from Ginny's face.

"Oh," Ginny laughed, "And you were a right example of calm collectedness, were you?"

Hermione laughed outright at that. "Oh, your brothers are going to murder Harry for this. I mean, he got their permission to shag you and everything…."

"Hermione!" Ginny said, scandalised. She swatted Hermione on the arm, but the older girl only laughed harder and continued.

"But getting you pregnant is another thing entirely."

"I know," Ginny said, swallowing her laughter and sobering. "And I've got to tell Harry." She swallowed. "Don't get me wrong, Herm," she said earnestly, "we love eachother. I mean, I love him more than…more than…Chocolate Covered Frogs and my broomstick!"

"Oh, well that's comforting," Hermione said, rolling her eyes.

"Don't laugh," Ginny said seriously, "I'm serious."

"Right, of course," Hermione said, straightening her face with an effort.

"We love…we love eachother," Ginny sighed, "But Harry and I…I don't know if we're…ready. For something like this."

Ginny looked away, and when she looked back again, Hermione was regarding her seriously. "Well, if you're going to learn from my mistakes," she began, "tell him now. Don't wait four months and then blurt it out over a game of Blackjack. It's important, he deserves to know, and if I know Harry at all, which I do, he's going to be happier than anything in the world."

"You think?" Ginny said uncertainly.

"It may not be perfect timing, Gin," Hermione said, not taking her eyes from Ginny's, "But he's always wanted a family."

Ginny didn't know quite what to say to that, but she knew Hermione was right. "So," Hermione said finally, "you need to go tell Harry about this right away. But first," she said quickly, as Ginny stood, "You've got to help me up. I'll never get up off this floor on my own."

Ginny laughed and, reaching out a hand, helped Hermione up. "Don't worry, Ginny," Hermione said, grasping her by the shoulders and nodding reassuringly, "I'll see you next Friday."

o.o

Ginny needed to clear her head. She had gone from utter shock to pure hysteria in the space of ten minutes, and now she needed to think. She needed to…decide…how she was going to break the news to Harry. She left the Three Broomsticks and started to walk towards the looming shape of Hogwarts. If anything was going to clear her mind, a walk up to the castle in the crisp late-night March air would do the trick.

Looking down at her hands, Ginny saw the faintest tinge of golden light radiating off her skin. The colour was fading quickly; Madam Pomfrey _had_ said the glow only lasted for half an hour at most.

How could she be pregnant, she wondered, and not know? Not even have the faintest inkling? Wasn't she supposed to _feel_ something? Not anything physical or tangible, just a _feeling_?

Well, it had only been a week, after all. Most witches didn't have the slightest idea for at least another week or two, right? She wasn't entirely sure. Truth be told, she had never paid much attention to 'pregnancy talk'. She hadn't, she smiled wryly to herself, thought she'd need to know any of that for a long time.

A week ago, she never, ever, would have guessed that this would be happening. For Merlin's sake, she and Harry had only just started sleeping together. They weren't ready for this! Were they?

Hermione had said Harry had always wanted a family. Well, Ginny thought, her feelings suddenly very harsh, _that_ was obvious. She herself wanted a family…someday. That didn't mean she wanted one right this instant! Hadn't Harry been through enough? He had only just defeated a Dark Lord. He'd never had time to properly enjoy himself without being tied down by a stupid Prophecy, and the moment he got out of that bind, here she was ready to tie him down with another! Merlin, he was going to hate her.

Ginny felt her eyes beginning to prick with tears. Was this being caused by pregnancy, too?, she thought grimly, swiping at her eyes. Women got emotional when they were pregnant, didn't they? Just look at Hermione! But she was only a week in; it was much too early. Now she was just being irrational.

By this time, she had reached the castle, but she didn't feel ready to go inside just yet. She needed to be calm before she talked to Harry. Merlin, what was she going to say? She sat down at the edge of the stone steps and looked out over the grounds and at the lights of Hogsmeade down below. She didn't know how long she sat there, just staring out into the night, but finally, she felt collected enough, and she stood.

She pulled her wand from her pocket and cast an identification spell. The large double doors recognized her and opened outward, revealing the welcoming and deserted entrance hall. It must be much later than she'd realized.

The sudden burst of warmer air made Ginny conscious of how cold she had become. She began to pull her cloak more tightly around herself, then stopped and slipped a hand its the folds. She splayed her fingers across her stomach. It was flat as ever. Was it really possible that…?

"Ginny!" Harry's voice broke into her thoughts. Ginny pulled her hand from within her cloak and barely had time to register the relief mingled with…anger? in his voice before he grasped her to him. "Where in the world have you been?"

"What?" Ginny managed, swallowing as he pulled away from her and grasped her by the shoulders. His green eyes were glaring down at her.

"I said, where have you been? Ron floo'd me fifteen minutes ago to ask if I wanted to get a drink with him in a bit, and I told him I was waiting for you. And then he gives me this look and says Hermione got back to their place half an hour before that and you two left the bar at the same time! Where the hell have you been all this time? I've been worried sick!"

"I walked back, Harry," Ginny said shortly.

Harry stepped back and ran a frustrated hand through his hair. "Merlin, Ginny, why would you do that? There are bloody Death Eaters still out there, and Merlin knows what else! You can't just walk around, at _night_, mind you, in completely deserted areas, _alone_!"

Ginny balked. "I can take care of myself, Harry!" she snapped. "I could take care of myself when I was sixteen, and I can bloody well take care of myself now!"

"Don't, Ginny," Harry said sharply, "You know why I had to leave then, so don't bring that up like I did something wrong."

"Well, maybe you did!" Ginny snapped back. She was yelling now, and even as the words left her mouth, she regretted what she was saying. This wasn't what they were supposed to be talking about. This was completely irrelevant, she realized, but maybe it had been a long time coming. "You think you know what's best for me, so you leave me crying in my room and expect me to love you when you get back. I wasn't about to wait around for you, Harry!"

"Well, obviously you didn't!" Harry retorted. His eyes were flashing dangerously, and Ginny knew she'd cut deep.

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"Means you had a pretty easy time getting over me, didn't you? I leave and you've got another guy wrapped around your finger in no time. Did you Owl Dean five minutes after I left? Ten? Did you wait a whole bloody day out of respect for what we had?"

And before she knew what she was doing, Ginny stepped forward and punched Harry in the face.

He wheeled back from the force of it (Ginny had always had a strong punch), and Ginny backed away in shock. She raised her hands to her mouth. They were silent for a moment, and Harry raised a hand to wipe the blood from his split lip.

"Harry…."

"Ginny…."

"Shit, Harry," Ginny whispered. They both began to speak at the same time.

"Merlin, Ginny, that…," Harry began.

"I'm so…let me…," Ginny started.

Ginny stepped forward. She didn't want to wait for an Accio, so she tore a bit of cloth from her shirt. As she raised it to his lip, he winced a little, but didn't stop her.

"I liked that shirt," he whispered, a smile tugging at his lips.

Ginny laughed a little, feeling sudden tears of relief filling her eyes. "I'm so sorry," she began again, but Harry grasped her free hand firmly and she looked up to meet his gaze.

"Don't, Gin," he said softly. "Hell, I had it coming." He smiled wryly.

Ginny smiled back. "Yes," she said frankly, "you did." She fixed him with a glare. "Don't you _ever_ say something like that again."

Harry brushed away one of her stray tears with his thumb. "I won't…," he began, but Ginny kept speaking. She knew he needed to hear this, no matter what he said.

"I waited for you, Harry," she whispered, meeting his gaze through teary eyes. "I waited two years for you and I didn't…we didn't know if you would ever be coming back. And then you did come back, and I was so…so happy…so indescribably happy…."

"I never wanted you to be unhappy, Ginny," Harry cut in.

"There you go," Ginny said, rolling her eyes and smiling, "being all noble again. Well, I was bloody well going to be unhappy if I wanted to."

Harry laughed. By now, the blood had stopped flowing from his lip, and he pressed a kiss to her forehead. "Always so stubborn," he said, and he pulled her close into an embrace and rested his chin on the top of her head.

Ginny turned her cheek so it was against Harry's chest and sighed. She remembered quite suddenly what really needed to be said.

"Harry?" she said tentatively, feeling a little nervousness building in her stomach.

"Hm?" he said.

"Hermione told me that you wanted a family…some day. Was she right?"

Harry pulled back a little to look at her quizzically. He obviously thought she was still talking about the two of them…just the two of them. "Is this some sort of test?" he laughed.

Ginny couldn't help but grin back. "You could say that," she replied.

He rested his chin on her head again. "Well, I never had a proper family, I suppose, until I came to the Burrow. And then I saw how happy you lot were with a gazillion people in a too-small house, and I wanted that. I want that."

Ginny laughed. "You want to cram a gazillion people in a too-small house?"

"Yup," he said matter-of-factly. Ginny laughed again, then sobered suddenly.

"Harry," she began.

"Hm?"

Ginny pulled one of Harry's arms from around her and took his hand. She maneuvered her own hand on top of his and slowly guided it between them until it rested lightly on her stomach.

"Ginny, what are you…," Harry said, pulling back a little to look down at her.

"How soon would you want to start filling that too-small house?" Ginny whispered.

She forced herself to look up into Harry's eyes. She watched his forehead, which had been furrowed in confusion, slowly smooth out as his bright green eyes filled with sudden realization.

"Merlin, Ginny," he said finally, softly, and Ginny bit her lip. "Are you…?"

"Yeah," she whispered.

"In there…? There's a…our…just right here," he said, pressing his hand more firmly to her stomach.

Ginny smiled a little. "Yeah, I reckon so."

And then, quite suddenly, Harry's face broke into a grin. "You're serious?"

Ginny laughed a little and rolled her eyes, relief filling every pore in her body. "No, Harry, I'm joking," she said sarcastically, voice breaking a little.

And then he caught her face between both hands, leaned down, and kissed her. "Right now," he whispered, pulling back slightly and laughing a little, "I reckon right now is just fine to start filling that house."

o.o

**A/N: So what do you think? I rather like this chapter, and I hope you lot did as well. I hope their little fight didn't seem to random – I felt like it fit with both of their heightened emotions…and it was definitely a long time coming.**

**SO – I need to ask your opinion on a very serious plot question. Should Ginny be really pregnant or should it just be a false-positive. First I thought one way, and then I thought the other, and now I can't decide. So, I turn to you, my lovely reviewers, for advice. Thanks :)**

**Oh, and a lovely reviewer pointed out that The Three Broomsticks is in Hogsmeade, whereas I'd mistakenly written Diagon Alley in the last chapter. Careless mistake, and thanks for pointing it out!**


	37. Author's NOTE

AUTHOR'S NOTE: I opened my inbox just now, and read a review that really hit home about how long it's taken me to update

AUTHOR'S NOTE: I opened my inbox just now, and read a review that really hit home about how long it's taken me to update. I'm terribly, terribly sorry it's been taking me so long. First there were exams and then a lot of crazy stuff happened in my life that's just starting to wind down. No excuse, of course, but it may be a little longer before the next update. I've started the next chapter, but it's tough getting back into the swing of things and real life keeps rudely intervening. I wish I could give you a solid date, but I'll just say hopefully in the next week or two. Sorry again, and feel free to PM or review if you've got something to say. Thanks for bearing with me – love, iheartbooks.


End file.
